T๏гภ Δηd ƒяαуєd
by A Lonely Rainbow Girl
Summary: /ΔU/ They told him what he was; who he was. They hated him, they tortured him, they dissected him. He hated the humans and their white suits. He hated the fighting; the killing. He was Subject 43 inside the compound, but outside it, he had given himself a name: Phantom. "Everybody has that other half that lurks within their soul. Mine will either make me a hєгo or a mσηsʇər."
1. The Beginning

_So I've been thinking about this for a long time, and just decided to post this because, COME ON! I love the fandom. :D_

 _Also keep in mind that I am open to ideas for Danny's reaction with the team! I already have my own plans, but torture advice will be helpful! I shall give your idea the full credit it deserves, and bashing will be decided soon! Pairings unknown!_

* * *

 **Danny Phantom and Young Justice doesn't belong to me. Sad, though - I want another season of both.**

* * *

 **The Beginning**

* * *

Four year old boy Danny Fenton frowned at his friends, Sam Mason and Tucker Trowley.

"But momma and daddy told me not to go in the basement," Danny explained to them as they walked to the highly inconspicuous Fenton residence.

"They told you not to use the microwave either," Tucker pointed out. "Why's that?"

Danny shuddered. "Evil food," He monotoned, then jumped when Sam exclaimed, "I got it!"

Both Tucker and Danny turned to face the pink-hating girl. "Why don't we just go down into the basement and look? We're not touching any'ting, so your parents won't get mad!"

Danny and Tucker exchanged a glance. "Okay!" Danny said as he opened their house door and the three walked inside. "But we have to follow Daddy and Mommy's rules and not touch anything."

"Right!" Tucker and Sam agreed with large grins on their faces.

"What are you three talking about?"

An eight year old Jazz stood by the door, glancing at them curiously but also with a protective spark in her eyes.

"We… Um…" Tucker started, but failed in his attempt. Sam glared at the bashful boy and proclaimed loudly, "We want some cookies!"

Jazz snickered. "Sorry, the only food we have is moldy or frozen solid." Glancing behind her, she added, "Boy do I hate that microwave…"

"Evil food," Danny agreed and walked past his sister, saying with a grin, "We're goin' to my room!"

As Sam and Tucker followed, Jazz called after him, "Okay! I'm gonna be in my room!"

Inside Danny's astronaut themed room, the three four year olds pondered what they were going to do.

"Could we sneak past her?" Tucker asked. Danny shook his head. "No, Jazzy is smart."

Sam frowned. "Could we ask her?"

Danny flailed his hands wildly. "No way! She'd put us all in those creepy suits Mommy and Daddy always wear!"

The three were silent, each wondering what they were going to do, until -

"Hey, Danny? I'm going to take a shower. You three behave!"

As the eight year old padded down the hallway, the three kids grinned.

While Jazz was in the shower and completely oblivious to what the threesome were planning, Danny, Sam, and Tucker tiptoed down the stairs and as Danny turned on the lights, their eyes grew wide.

Machines, guns, half finished blueprints and various paper airplanes littered the tables. The ground was cement and freshly cleaned, but various scuff marks and green goo could be spotted. A fridge rested in the corner, and Tucker immediately headed for it, his nose attracted by the keen scent of meat.

"Don't Tucker, that's Daddy's food!" Danny called, to the boy's disappointment, and with a sigh, walked back over to Sam and Danny, casting forlorn glances at the mini fridge.

"Danny, look at this!"

At Sam's words, the two boys padded over and stared at the large, oval-shaped machine resting on the far wall.

Danny's blue eyes lit up with excitement and recognition. "This is the Portal thingy Uncle Mastahz and Mommy and Daddy was working on!" He cried. His face fell when he saw the large layer of dust on it. "But Uncle got hurt and they couldn't work on it anymore…"

Sam frowned and went closer to investigate. "Looks fine to me," She said.

Danny pulled her back from going inside. "Don't! Mommy and Daddy always told me not to touch anything in here!"

"What about this?" Tucker asked, and in his hands rested a regular baseball bat with the words "ANTI-CREEP STICK!" Emblazoned in neon on the wood.

"That's just da stalker stick," Danny replied with a shrug, and turned back to face Sam, only for his eyes to widen with horror as he saw Sam walking inside.

Using all of his four year old strength, Danny grabbed her and flung her out… But her weight was too much, and he stumbled, tripped on a cord, his hand automatically resting on a wall for support-

And then all he could feel was pain.

* * *

 **The Beginning**

* * *

Several months had passed since the accident, when Sam and Tucker had half-carried, half-dragged Danny's body up the stairs and pounded on the shower door, where a confused Jazz had emerged, only for her eyes to widen with horror as she realized Danny. Wasn't. Breathing.

Instructing Sam to call 911, Jazz tried CPR, but when that didn't work, went frantic with worry.

Tucker was crying and hugging Danny, blubbering over his best friend's lifeless body.

Five minutes later, Maddie and Jack entered the scene, taking charge and leaving the three kids to keep watch for the coming ambulance. They performed CPR, but when no results occurred, grabbed ventilators and electric shocked him.

After three tries, Danny shot upright, his normally calm blue eyes glowing an ectoplasmic green, and he screamed. He screamed and screamed, the sound vibrating the house and causing windows to crack.

Then he passed out, two rings travelling up his body as his appearance changed. White hair, black hazmat suit and gloves. Combat boots.

Jack and Maddie knew what their son was.

After equipping them all with weird looking belts, the Fentons drilled the terrified Sam and Tucker, who quickly spilled the beans, saying that Sam wanted to go inside the portal thingy, but Danny pulled her back and fell inside, and the thing turned on.

Jack was ecstatic to find that their invention worked, but the pressing knowledge of what their son was quickly returned to them.

Slowly, they explained that Danny was dead. That he was dead, but he wanted to have some fun, so he came back as a ghost.

Sam and Tucker were terrified, and Jazz was near tears. It was her fault her brother died.

When Danny emerged from his coma several days after the accident, Jack and Maddie both agreed to tell their son the truth. The four year old was terrified at the idea of never growing up, but soon the idea of outliving his family shocked him.

His parents helped him, searching for a cure and trying to get him to master his abilities at the same time.

Danny soon overcame his fear of outliving his parents when it came obvious he was still aging and changing. Jack and Maddie had their suspicions, but the grinning face of their ghostly son when he realized he wasn't going to stay as a four year old forever got them to put their words aside.

Jazz had taken the revelation of her half-dead brother rather well, and she pursued the career of a psychologist in order to help her little brother. Tucker and Sam visited almost every day, sad when Danny wasn't allowed to come to their houses anymore but overjoyed when they were still allowed to come over.

Danny had some trouble from time to time, like sinking into the floor or turning invisible. Once he accidently set off the ghost alarm in the basement, warranting the integration of Danny's Ecto-signature into the alarm system so that he would have free reigns of the Fenton household.

Jack and Maddie were learning far more about ghosts than they believed. Their earlier claims of ghosts being mere shells of their past selves was utter bullshit. By closely monitoring their son, the two Fentons came to the conclusion that ghosts weren't evil, heartless creatures. They were simply human beings who had determined wills that got them sent into the afterlife.

After a surprising encounter with the Box Ghost, as he called himself, Danny dubbed the creature 'Boxy' and Jack and Maddie were always quite entertained by the Ghost's visits. Annoyed by the takeover of cardboard in their home, but entertained nonetheless.

After five months of learning more and more about ghosts, adjusting the portal and making sure Danny's condition was a closely kept secret, it all went to hell when the man in the white suit knocked on their front door.

* * *

 **The Beginning**

* * *

"Jack, answer the door!" Maddie yelled from the kitchen, frantically trying to keep a floating Danny away from the freshly made brownies.

"Riiiiiight~!" Jack yelled, and barreled down the hallway, only to trip on Tucker's skateboard.

"Oooow…"

Jazz rolled her eyes and nimbly jumped over her Father's body, headed for the door and yelling over her shoulder, "You gotta move dad!"

"TUCKER! THIS SHALL BE THE LAST TIME-" Maddie started. Jazz squeezed her eye into the peephole, and her eyes went wide as she saw the man standing on their doorstep, dressed in a stark white suit and holding a briefcase. His eyes were covered with sunglasses, and his demeanor made him very… business-like.

"Mom, there's a dude in a suit by the door!" Jazz yelled behind her, then opened the door, internally praying that Danny was in his human form and not floating anywhere.

"This is the Fenton residence?" The man asked her. Jazz nodded, wondering why the man would ask with the giant sign pointing at their roof.

"Come on in," She offered, and the man did so, peering at their entry way curiously. Eyeing the man nervously, Jazz rolled her eyes at the still hunched over form of her Father, who jumped to his feet when Jazz proclaimed loudly enough to cause Danny's ghost hearing to pick up, "We have a guest!"

Hearing the hushed tones from the kitchen and faint buzzing sound, Jazz breathed a sigh of relief as she knew Danny was back in human form, probably eyeing the brownies forlornly as he had to wait for Ectoplasm to be injected into the delicate treat.

"What brings you to our humble abode?" Jack asked the man after he had nearly taken his hand off.

"I'm here on official government business," The man said, eyeing his sore hand with a cringe.

Jack nodded, waving his ape-like hands dismissively. "Right right, we've gotcha covered!"

As her father turned to lead the man down the hallway, she didn't miss the determined and suspicious gleam in her father's eyes.

Right away she headed for her room to grab the anti-creep stick. If dad was suspicious of a person, then that meant he was a bad guy.

And bad guys always got their asses kicked by the Fenton family.

"Mom, a government person is here," Jazz hissed to her mother, who nodded her head and handed Tucker an Sam each a brownie, gave Danny one and handed Jazz the ectoplasm syringe and instructed them to: "Go straight to Danny's room and stay there until our guest is gone."

Taking heed of the dark gleam in her mother's eye, Jazz ushered the three four year olds upstairs and quickly fastened the lock on Danny's door, closed the blinds and tried to keep the three little kids occupied, when she was terrified herself.

Something inside her told her that something really, really bad was going to happen.

* * *

 **The Beginning**

* * *

"So, what brings you to our home?" Jack asked again. He and Maddie were sitting on the couch, their guest sitting across from them.

"Like I said, official government business," The man repeated. The man checked his watch, then sighed.  
"My title is Agent O, and I work for an Anti-Supernatural organization that has recognized your family's expertise in ghost hunting."

Jack and Maddie exchanged a glance. This didn't sound too good.

"There have been rumors in this town that your entire family possess the knowledge to hunt ghosts, as well as the proper intellect and inventions. Is this true?"

Jack was very happy Jazz had grabbed the anti-creep stick, because he was pretty convinced that if the faithful family baseball bat was anywhere near his grasp, this 'Agent Ojo' would be sent flying out of their house.

Maddie glanced at Jack, and then turned to face the agent. "Yes, that was true once," She started, "but Jack and I have decided to retire from the business for a while and focus more on being parents for our children."

Agent O nodded, a cunning smile slipping onto his face that raised the hair on the back of Jack's neck. This man…

"Ah yes… your children. Jasmine 'Jazz' Fenton, age eight. Seems to be pursuing a promising career in psychology to help out her little brother."

Jack's face went red, and his fists were clenched into huge battering rams as he saw the agent in a new light. This man…

"And the most promising member of your household… Daniel 'Danny' Fenton. Deceased at the age of four…"

The blood drained from both Jack and Maddie's faces. This man…

"...but he came back, correct? He's a ghost now. And your family is harboring a valuable test subject for yourselves-"

"Ghosts aren't what we used to believe!" Jack thundered. "They have emotions, thoughts, hobbies and interests! While some pose a grave threat to humankind, others are so harmless it's laughable!"

Agent O eyed Jack with what seemed to be an impression. "Hm. And the file claimed your family to be highly intellectual. Oh well, I guess that promise only resides in the next generation."

The man slid the briefcase onto his lap and undid the clasps, reached his hand inside and pulled out a large, semi-automatic machine gun.

This man…

"Now, I'm going to ask nicely. Don't get me wrong, I like you people, I really do. But our organization has eyes everywhere, and what our Directors want, they receive."

He gripped the barrel tightly, his hand resting on the trigger, and pulled off his sunglasses, revealing hard and cold eyes that meant business.

"So I'm gonna ask nicely - Where is the boy?"

This man was the enemy.

* * *

 **The Beginning**

* * *

"Jazzy-pants, something's wrong!" Danny cried, not touching his brownie. "Who's the creepy man?"

"I don't know Danny, but everything's gonna be okay," Jazz lied, trying to reassure her younger brother and the other two kids in the room, who looked worried too. "Dad is going to beat the man up, and Mom is going to nail him right in the jaw."

Danny smiled at the thought, and looked up at his sister sheepishly. "You… you really think so?"

Jazz nodded, ruffling her brother's hair. "I know so."

Tucker nodded. "Jazz is right!" He said with a wide grin. "Your mommy and daddy are suuuper strong, Danny! They could probably beat up Godzi- Godzo- Godza-"

"It's Godzilla, you Meat-head, and Tucka's right!" Sam chirped, punching Tucker in the shoulder playfully. "Your parents are really cool!"

Jazz sweatdropped at the idea of her parents being cool. Paranormal's more like it.

Danny smiled, but the gleam in his eyes faded and he looked down again. "I know… But something's wrong. I can feel it," He added, and pointed to where his ghost core resided, "right here."

Jazz felt bile rise in her throat. Did Danny have a sixth sense, like a cat? A sense that gave him a feeling when someone was about to… to die?

The orangette pushed her fear aside and gripped the baseball hat tighter. No. No; that couldn't happen.

Sam frowned and leaned against the air vent. "I can hear stuff!" She said, and pointed at it. Cautiously, Jazz walked over to the vent and leaned in.

"Time to… soon." Some one said.

"Not time yet… Agent O… signal…"

"Tired…. waiting… bored."

"Ghosts… Fentons are morons…"

"What do we… kill family?"

"Director wants…orders... take boy."

Jazz's eyes widened. The person she let inside the house wasn't alone. Leaving the vent, she raced to Danny's window and peeked through the blinds, despair clawing at her when she saw four vans parked alongside their house. Men in white suits were positioned outside, probably waiting to raid it.

They were going to take Danny and kill the rest of them.

A determined feeling came on Jazz; she wasn't going to just sit here in the bedroom and wait for them to take Danny and kill Sam, Tucker, and herself. And she wasn't going to let them kill her parents either.

Struggling to maintain control of herself, Jazz looked at Danny and asked, "Danny, do you want to go to Tucker's house?"

Her brother's eyes lit up, and he grinned. "Yeah!"

Her response was immediate. "Shhh," She hushed. "Mommy and Daddy are talking about really important stuff right now, so we have to be quiet."

Danny frowned, then nodded. Tucker and Sam looked elated at the thought of Danny being allowed to come to their houses again.

"But don't we have to ask Tucka's parents first?" Sam asked innocently.

Jazz gulped. Stupid, she hadn't thought this through all the way!

"Yes, you do, but since Tucker is with us, they won't mind," Jazz said, glancing at Tucker and praying that all her might that the Meat-obsessed kid would go along with it.

Tucker nodded, a grin on his face and exposing his missing top right tooth. "Sure! Mom and Dad won't mind!"

Jazz breathed a sigh of utter relief.

"Let's go!" Danny squealed, and made his way towards the bedroom door. Terror flooded through Jazz. What if the man downstairs had a Ghost-detecting device? A ghost-proof net? An ecto-gun?

"No!" Jazz exclaimed, and Danny turned to look at her, confused, hand resting on the doorknob. "But you said-"

"And I meant what I said," Jazz cut in. Forcing a sneaky smile onto her face, she asked, "Why don't you fly us there?"

Danny blinked. "Really?"

Jazz nodded. "Really."

"But I don't think I can carry all of you," Danny frowned, eyeing Jazz's height with disdain.

Jazz shrugged. "Why don't you get Sam and Tucker out first? I'll wait for you, and you can just turn me intangible so we can walk through the house."

Danny looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "Alright!"

So far so good.

"Okay then! Are you guys okay with this?" Jazz asked Tucker and Sam. To her relief, they both nodded.

"Yeah! I love flying!" Sam chirped, then looked guilty of spoiling a secret. Vaguely, Jazz remembered Mom instructing Danny not to fly with his friends until he achieved control of his powers, but the eight year old didn't care.

"I'm sorry-" Danny started, but before he could finish, Jazz hugged him tightly. She wanted to cry, wanted to grab the baseball bat and tell her parents about what the man was planning to do, and that their house was surrounded.

She wanted to get to safety first, but that wasn't an option. She had to make sure Sam and Tucker were safe, escape with Danny and pray to every single deity that existed that the white suits would leave and never come back.

"Jazzy? Are you okay?"

Jazz nodded, breaking away from her brother and ruffled his hair, earning a cute scowl. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Danny eyed her curiously for another minute, then turned to Sam and Tucker.

"Come on guys! Let's go!"

As Danny changed into his ghost form, Jazz froze, waiting for an alarm to go off, for the men to storm her house, but nothing happened. Nervously, she scrawled a quick note to the Foley's, vaguely explaining that something came up and for scientific reasons, her parents wanted the kids out of the house. It was a pretty bad excuse, considering her parents let them handle dangerous chemicals all the time, she knew the note was bullshit, and that Tucker's parents would too, but she had to get the threesome out of the house.

"Okay Danny, remember to stay intangible, and invisible too," Jazz reminded her brother, choking on her words but pushing her emotions down. This wasn't the time.

"I know, Jazzy!" Danny whined. "I'll be careful, and no one's gonna see us! I pwomise!"

Jazz chuckled at him, then brought the three of them into a tight group hug, ignoring their squirming and proclaims of "Lemme go!"

After a few moments, Danny turned himself intangible and pushed himself out of Jazz's grip.

Turning himself tangible again, Danny gave Jazz a cheeky grin and started to hover off the ground, grabbing Tucker and Sam's hands. "I'll be right back Jazzy!" He chirped, and with those words, turned the threesome intangible and flew through the bedroom wall, their feet turning invisible as they, she hoped, flew towards the Foley's.

Taking a deep, reassuring breath, Jazz ran over to the vent and listened for more words. None.

Were they getting ready to raid her house? Preparing a bomb?

Going after Danny?

Jazz felt like she was going to be sick.

Grabbing the anti-creep stick, Jazz slowly unlocked the bedroom door and crept down the hall, keeping an ear out for anything out for any clue as to what mess her parents were in.

Her eyes went wide as she saw the man open his briefcase, pulling out a large gun.

"So I'm gonna ask nicely - Where is the boy?" He demanded, aiming the gun at her parents.

Jazz was frozen in place. What should she do? Run? Charge at the guy with a baseball bat? Creep past the guy towards the basement and pray that he doesn't shoot her parents in the time she takes to equip herself with weapons?

What should she do?

To her horror, she didn't have to.

"Psst! Jazzy!"

Jazz whirled around to see a confused floating Danny, who was eyeing her suspiciously.

"What's goin' on?"

Jazz brought her finger to her lips immediately, eyes pleading for him to be silent.

"Oh. Sorry," Danny whispered. Jazz would have found his guilty expression adorable had she not been in this situation.

Danny glanced past the corner, and his eyes went wide as he saw the man wave his gun at his parents.

"I'm not gonna ask again - Where's the ghost boy?"

"We're never gonna tell!" Jack roared, and to Jazz and Danny's horror, the man aimed his gun… and pulled the trigger.

Maddie screamed as Jack fell to the couch in a bloody heap, his face set in a look of rowdy defiance.

Jazz stared at her father's body. He was dead. His laugh would never seem to shake the house, and he would never crack horrible jokes at the dinner table. He would never again give empty cardboard boxes to Box Ghost, and never check for ghosts under their beds again.

Dad was dead.

"DADDY!" Danny screamed, and ran towards Jack's body.

"No Danny! Grab your sister and run!" Maddie screamed, struggling against something. In a daze, Jazz registered that their parents were tied up with rope.

"Daddy? Daddy!" Danny wailed, hugging Jack's body close, tears streaming down his face.

The man chuckled as he surveyed the scene. "How adorable," He sneered. "A ghost imitating human emotions."

Reaching out his hand, the White Suit pulled Danny off of Jack and aimed the gun at his head. Maddie let out a blood curdling scream, and Jazz watched as her brother froze in fear, unable to move.

"Pathetic."

His finger moved, gun pointed towards Mom… and pulled the trigger.

Maddie fell.

"NOOOO!"

Jazz unfroze.

She gripped the baseball bat and charged forward.

"Show me that you're fa-"

Jazz brought the baseball bat down on the man's shoulder, tears pouring down her face. He fell and turned his head, startled, and Jazz hit him again.

BAM!

A broken nose.

BAM!

A chipped shoulder.

BAM!

Bruises.

BAM!

Pain.

"Jazzy? Jazzy, stop!"

Jazz felt someone hug her, and the little eight year old stopped, eyes cold and blank as she stepped over the man's body and looked to see Danny, who was crying, holding their parent's hands.

Jazz felt some of the warmth return to her, and she knelt down and hugged him.

"Danny…" She whispered.

Danny sobbed, clutching her tightly.

As she felt herself relax in their hug, she opened her eyes when Danny stopped crying.

"Danny…?"

Her brother broke away, blue eyes shining. "I'm gonna get you outta here, Jazzy, and den I'm gonna make sure they won't hurt us again."

Jazz's eyes widened. "Danny? Wait, no! DANNY!"

But it was too late. Daniel Fenton turned intangible, invisible, and shot through the ceiling, Jazz's hand gripped firmly in his own.

But something caught them.

"Aaaaah!" Danny screamed as he was shot in the stomach with an Ecto-gun. They fell onto their front lawn, Jazz groaning and half conscious and Danny wailing in pain.

"Dan... ny…" Jazz whispered, and reached her hand towards her brother as a man in a White Suit shot her brother in the back.

Kicked him in the shoulder.

Bound him with rope.

Jazz closed her eyes, falling into oblivion.

* * *

 **The Beginning**

* * *

Danny opened his eyes slowly, scrunching up his nose as bright light startled him. Yawning, he tried to sit up and stretch, but found he was bound to a table. Startled, his eyes shot open and he looked around wildly, dread increasing as he realized he wasn't home.

"Ah, it's awake!"

"Contact the Directors."

"Yes sir!"

"Contact the Science Division and let them know the machine is ready."

Danny quivered in fear. Directors? Science Directors? Where was he? Where was Jazz? Where was-

He froze. Mom. Dad.

A tear fell down his face. They were dead.

JAZZ!

Danny tried to jump to his feet, but the straps held him in place. Immediately, he tried phasing out of them but his hands and feet bounced back.

Ghosts shields. Crap.

"Jazz!" Danny screamed, struggling to break free. "JAZZY!"

He had to find her, he had to see her, he had to make sure she was okay, that she wasn't dead -

"Your sister is safe, Daniel."

Danny stopped struggling and looked up. Standing in front of him was a woman, dressed in a form-fitting grey dress. Her skin shone brightly, like burgundy sand, and a crown rested on her head, accenting her raven hair.

"Are you a princess?" Danny blurted, staring at her.

The woman looked surprised, then she chuckled. "No, I am a Queen. I am called Queen Bee."

Danny frowned. "But you don't have wings…"

She laughed, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"I am called Queen Bee because I rule the country of Bialya."

Danny was confused. "Bia… what?"

Queen Bee merely smiled and turned her head behind her, where a man in a white lab coat was holding a clipboard and scrawling notes.

Danny was even more confused. He just went to the doctor!

"Don't use the shock therapy yet. Savage wants the subject to be cleansed first," She told the man softly. He nodded and put his clipboard onto a nearby table and headed over to Danny.

The four year old was nervous. What was going on?

"Queenie Bee?"

The woman blinked and turned to face him.

"Where's… where's Jazzy?"

She gave him a small smile. "Jasmine is quite fine," She told him reassuringly. "She is with your friends… Sam and Tucker, correct?"

Danny sighed in relief, a grin on his face. Jazz was okay!

The man from before moved closer to him and ordered, "Stay still." Danny complied, watching the man curiously as he fiddled with a machine above Danny's head.

"What's dat for?" Danny asked innocently, eyeing the matching curiously.

"It's going to make you perfect," Queen Bee answered.

Danny wrinkled his nose. "But mommy always says I'm already perfect!"

Queen Bee nodded. "Yes, she is right, but you aren't perfect to me... " She leaned in towards him and traced her finger along his cheek, finally cupping his chin in her hands.

"... but you will soon join the Light."

She moved away from him, and the scientist placed the thing around his head, secured the straps, and fiddled with a control monitor.

"W-what's going on?" Danny squeaked when the machine started to vibrate. "What's it doin' to me?!"

Queen Bee smirked. "Allowing you to join the Light," She replied, and the vibrating increased until it seemed to crack through his skull.

Danny screamed.

* * *

 **The Beginning**

* * *

He opened his eyes slowly, then looked around. He was laying down on a small bed, with white sheets. He sat up slowly, still surveying his surroundings. The room was white, and small with no windows. A simple door stood in front of the bed, a few paces to walk.

Stiffly, he slid out of the bed and stood to his feet, nearly falling over. He frowned. Not being able to stand will be an obstacle, but he would work hard to overcome it.

Determined, he let go of the bed and stood to his feet, staying close to the cot as he took a few cautious steps forward.

He stumbled once, but quickly regained his balance and resumed his course, grinning when the stiffness in his joints receded and he was walking normally once more.

He frowned when he grew bored of walking and stretching. Was he supposed to leave? Could he leave?

Eyeing the door warily, he took a deep breath and forced himself to ignore it. No; he wouldn't leave. He never received instructions to.

Hours passed. Had it been a day? He didn't know, only that he should remain in the room until he received orders to do otherwise.

He frowned. Was he really supposed to stay inside? Or did he miss the instruction to leave?

Sighing, he glanced at the door again. Could he open it?

Cautiously, he padded forward until he was standing in front of the door. Taking a deep breath, he raised himself up to his tip-toes to peek out the door.

It was a simple hallway, and like his room, was completely white. Doors lined the walls on both sides, but no one walked by.

Satisfied, he returned to his cot and decided to stay inside. Who knew, maybe he was safer inside his room.

As he got himself situated, a flash of bronze caught his eye. Blinking, he scanned the room for the color, and it didn't register. Trying to find the color again, he stood up and tried to replicate the way he got into bed, and the flash of bronze appeared again.

Looking down, he saw the color in two simple digits on his shirt. Unable to angle his head to get a better look, he took off his shirt and shivered from the lack of warmth. Holding the shirt in front of him, he blinked when he saw two medium sized, bronze colored words on his white shirt.

Subject 43.

His eyes widened. Was this his name? 'Subject 43?'

Thinking back, he slowly realized he had no idea what the world outside looked like, other than the hallway.

Panic set in. What was his name? His age? His purpose?

Bolting upright, he flung himself off the bed and leaned down onto the linoleum floor, hoping to catch a glimpse of his appearance.

His eyes were blue, and his hair was shaggy and a dark black. His skin was pale, and there were faint bruises on his stomach and chest.

Relaxing, he flopped back onto his bed, clutching his shirt like a lifeline.

As his eyes were closing, a small squeaking sound could be heard. He opened his eyes and sat up, surprised to see a woman dressed in a lab coat inside his room, the door standing invitingly open.

"Subject 43, you are to come with me to the Scientific Department," She ordered. The boy slid out of bed and tugged his shirt back on, eyeing the woman nervously.

She gave him a small, reassuring smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Come with me, Subject 43."

As he followed her down the hallway, the ghost of a smile made its way onto his face.

So his name was Subject 43…

* * *

 **The Beginning**

* * *

 _Added more to the indents - Chapter title wasn't there before. Disclaimer was also added. Tried to spot the typos; tell me if you guys see them, please?_


	2. The Way Things Are

_The next chapter! :D_

 _I didn't expect this much attention. Aww, you people are just too nice ^.^_

 _ **Guest of honor** : I am soooooooo sorry but there will be no Daddy!Bats in this story. In all, there will be Danny!Batman bashing. I am not against Daddy!Bats, but I always feel like it makes the plot verrrry dry._

 _ **bruno14** : Yaaay! I continued it! XD and I was debating whether to make this a Teen Titans crossover or not, but decided to put it in Young Justice because I think that it'd make more sense, with Season 2 and all._

 _ **Momobear9898** : Thanks! I wanted to change things up a bit, and humanize Danny's parents more than just being heartless bastards._

 _ **miss mysteri** : No, he's 14 in this chapter. Time skips, my friend._

 _ **kitkatkate2008** : Yeah, he'll have some similarities with Superboy, but not really. Explained in this chapter._

 **Drift219:** _Yeah, I wanted to switch things up a bit. Don't get me wrong, stories where Danny's parents try to kill him are usually awesome, but I decided to take pity on the two characters, get the readers to love them and kill them off._

 _AND BEFORE YOU FLAME ME, I HAVE NOT YET FINISHED DANNY PHANTOM! I APOLOGIZE, BUT NO! I ONLY HEARD ABOUT THIS THROUGH THE FANDOM!_

 _So correct me if I got anybody's personalities wrong, please. I think I have most of the Ghost's down okay, but yeah..._

 _This chapter is mainly a flashback/reality check thing! It involves angst and torture! Mild trigger warnings and suicidal/depressing thoughts!_

 _DANNY IS 14 NOW! PLEASE DON'T FORGET!  
_

* * *

 **Danny Phantom and Young Justice doesn't belong to me. Sad, though - I want another season of both.**

* * *

 **The Way Things Are**

* * *

Forty Three dashed forwards, hands charged with green energy. He threw one blast towards the droid, smirking as it's core disintegrated. After finishing off the last three, he reverted back to human form and quickly grabbed a long, metal pole.

"Level Four: Completed. Please revert to Human Form, Subject 43." A voice intoned. Forty Three made no movements, waiting for the scanners to pass through him so that the system knew he was in his human state.

After a moment, the red net of lights passed over the entire area, changing the terrain and removing the droids.

"Subject 43 is in human form. Preparing Level Five."

Forty Three sighed and sat down, knowing he had a long day of training ahead of him.

It had been ten years since he had received his name and purpose: Obey the Light. But since no one ever what this 'Light' was, he decided to assume it was an impossibly smart lightbulb and move on.

Now, for a boy who is experimented on daily, and also 'Scientifically enhancing your abilities' or as he referred to it, torture, one would think he was a timid, terrified little boy. While that was true, in some cases, Forty Three wasn't timid. In reality, he was more… detached than anything.

His conditioning allowed him to not feel anything - Sadness, anger, humor, happiness - he didn't feel them.

Once, he was convinced he had those feelings, but the Light deleted them. How they managed to do that, he had a pretty good idea. Telepathy.

Forty Three HATED telepaths, or any creature that could twist the inner workings of a person's mind. Being subjected to the creepy bastard known as 'Psimon' all the time, Forty Three had quickly decided that all telepaths were crazy psychos, and took the telepaths' lessons to heart: Learning how to block a psychic attack, and eventually, learn how to fight back.

"Level Five will soon commence in T-459… 458…"

Forty Three yawned and stretched, thankful that he was getting a longer break. Probably a gift for beating Level Four so quickly.

Glancing around, he saw the combat room shift into it's actual dark grey space, the terrain fading in digital sparks.

"430… 429…"

Forty Three decided to ignore the voice, and instead plopped down onto the ground for a rest break. He had four minutes to rest; why waste it?

The fourteen year old winced as the cold ground agitated his bruises. Had he been in his cube, Forty Three would have immediately found CareGiver and ask for extra ectoplasm, but since CareGiver wasn't allowed to assist him during training, Forty Three had to bide the pain and continue until he dropped, which would unfortunately take several days.

Another thing he hated: Training. Just for half a day was fine when he was younger, but since unlocking his Ice Core, as the Lab Coats called it, they'd pushed him to his limit, time and time again, training him until he dropped and forcing him to go even farther.

He was used to not sleeping by now.

But he knew this was necessary; he had to be in the ultimate form for when the Light chose to shine. Forty Three didn't dare ask why he was going to fight for this 'Light,' because the last time he did, a squadron of White Suit's were allowed to 'Play with him.'

Not pleasant.

Ever since that encounter six years ago, Forty Three resolved to not say anything unless it was asked of him. Care Giver was sad that he no longer started conversations with her, or extended his sentences longer than the simple answer, or even voiced his own opinion, but they both knew it was safer this way.

Forty Three envied Care Giver, but also felt guilt towards her. She always went out of her way to make him feel… happy? Was that the word?

Forty Three remembered, vaguely, when he was younger, and had just discovered. Care Giver was the first person he had ever met, and she took full responsibility of him, acting as a parental figure in the compound of hell.

Sometimes, when he had completed his tasks and trials without a hint of failure, Care Giver would tell him stories about the outside world; Wide, vast plains of water known as oceans, large, lizard-like creatures called Dinosaurs, which were thankfully extinct, plains, suburbs, daily life outside, and best of all: The joys of a Circus.

The way they got an Elephant to balance on a large ball was incredible! Better yet, how did the rubber not snap under the Elephant's weight? And those black and white horses… Zebras, if he remembered right… what made them striped? And how did the humans escape Lion cages again and again?

After being told about a Circus only once, Forty Three begged Care Giver to tell him more. He wanted to know everything, from every sort of trick they performed to the variety of food you could eat.

Once, Care Giver had snuck a peanut inside the compound for him to try, and after being warned his stomach would rebel the food, Forty Three ate it anyways, revelling in the delicious salty flavor. Unable to swallow it, he had reluctantly spit it out in a basin of dried food that would be distributed amongst the White Suits for lunch.

Forty Three prayed that the peanut would end up in the mouth of Agent O, and he would choke and die on his food, like he wished for every day.

He hated that man. Care Giver told him that he was just overreacting, because he had never truly met the Agent before, but Forty Three was certain of two things:

1 - Agent O was as evil as they came,

2 - He had met the man before his life at the Compound.

Despite Care Giver's constant bickering at his questions, Forty Three was absolutely certain he had a life before the Compound, and before he became Subject 43. How else could you explain that he was four years old when he became their lab rat?

Sighing, Forty Three glanced down at his hands, the hands he was, always told, were the hands of a monster.

This fact he had accepted. He was an uncontrollable freak of nature that didn't deserve to exist, but had been given a purpose by the Light.

Monster.

Freak.

Demon.

In-human.

Their words hurt once. He didn't understand what he was. But when he had completed his first trial, Care Giver told him the truth.

He was a Ghost, a creature without emotion or feelings. They mercilessly destroyed everything in their path, killing anyone in their way.

They told him that he was turned into a Ghost by his abusive parents, who killed him when he was but a child. He came back as a Ghost, and the Light took him in, deciding to take pity on the powerful creature.

And he had lived in the Compound ever since.

But Forty Three had a feeling - An inkling of suspicion - that somewhere in their closely webbed net of lies, was some sort of truth.

He was determined to find out.

"Level Five starting. Please remain in human form, Subject 43."

Forty Three complied, inwardly groaning when the terrain shifted to a gorge. The droids would attack from above now, and without his ability to fly or use Ecto-blasts, he was at a significant disadvantage.

Picking up his pole again, Forty Three narrowed his eyes in sheer determination. He couldn't lose.

He had to beat his trials, otherwise he would never be able to be sold and escape this nightmare.

The first froid appeared, and Forty Three prepared himself for the onslaught.

Thirteen had generated so far, and more would appear.

Good thing it was only 13 so far.

He could only handle 40.

* * *

 **The Way Things Are**

* * *

"Level Five: Completed. Please return to Ghost form, Subject 43."

Forty Three immediately switched forms, breathing a sigh of relief as his wounds started to close.

One of the only nice things about being a freak of nature: He healed like a boss.

Forty Three flopped onto the regenerating terrain, happy to hear that it was taking the system longer than normal to generate the new map. He had some time to relax.

Waiting for the countdown to start, Forty Three sat down on the ground of the now gray room once more.

"Trials have been completed. Please exit the chamber and return to your cube."

Forty Three blinked. This hadn't ever happened before.

Quickly, he shot to his feet and walked respectfully out of the room, head lowered submissively, eyes down as he headed back to his room.

As he walked down the hallway, Forty Three stopped as he was about to round a corner and enter his cube. Hesitating, he looked around. No one.

Taking a deep breath, he turned around and headed back towards the chamber. Something was going on, but what?

"Do you like the child's potential?"

Forty Three blinked. That was one of the Agents!

Quickly turning invisible, he stood close to the door and leaned in close, trying to get a better idea of what was going on.

"Yes. Subject 43 seems most profitable for the Light."

Forty Three's eyes widened. Maybe he would finally get some answers!

"Then is your organization prepared to pay?"

Forty Three frowned. Pay… pay for what?

"Yes. I expect for it to be fully briefed on it's new purpose."

Forty Three felt sick and leaned back from the door. The organization was going to sell him…

His eyes widened, and he trembled with excitement. Was he really going to leave-?

"Of course, sir. How much conditioning do you wish for it to receive?"

Fear replaced his excitement. Oh no, oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no-

"The full treatment. I want 43 to be completely obedient to the Light."

He heard shuffling in the room, and the voice added, "Besides, I don't want the Light's perfect weapon eavesdropping on our plans."

Forty Three spun around and shot down the hallway, his short flight causing the doors to rattle, but he didn't care. This was bad. This was very bad.

Somehow that… man knew he was there, in ghost form. The organization was going to sell him to that man, but before they did, he was going to receive the rest of his conditioning. All of it.

Forty Three knew that once he sat down on that operation table… there would be nothing of him left.

Phasing through his door, Forty Three flopped down on his bed and let out an ear piercing scream, his eyes glimmering with a bloodthirsty red.

When he was done screaming, he sighed and closed his eyes. There was nothing he could do to stop the conditioning.

This was the way things were, after all.

* * *

 **The Way Things Are**

* * *

Lex Luthor scanned through the files, frowning when he saw how the GIW Agents treated the boy. Beating him when he failed a regular task and inducing shock therapy when he failed a trial wasn't the greatest things to ensure strict obedience, but the tone… that would be useful.

He smirked slightly. The Agency was smart, having the boy learn quickly that the small tone meant pain, and to remain passive to receive instructions. When the tone went off, and it immediately acted upon instruction, no matter what it thought about it's orders.

Beautiful.

The multi-billionaire rubbed his temples in frustration. This child was powerful… maybe too powerful. But with Queen Bee at the head of the GIW, and also brainwashing each and every agent to despise everything supernatural had eventually paid off in the end.

Lex never truly planned for the child's parent's to be killed, but oh well. Everything came out alright in the end.

Thinking back, he vaguely remembered that his sister survived the Agency's purge.

He'd have 43 correct that.

Luthor glanced down at the briefcase resting by his foot. Inside were seven clear vials full of the boy's blood and DNA.

"Sir? We've arrived."

The robotic cyborg 'MERCY' exited the car and moved to open Lex's car door.

"Thank you Mercy. Please follow me inside and lock the car."

With the girl's simple small bow, she did as she was told and followed Lex inside the building, a small sign reading, CADMUS.

Inside, Lex paid no heed to the empty lobby and entered the elevator, quickly pressing the correct combination of numbers to gain access into the lowest floor.

As the elevator made it's way down, Lex decided to flip through the file again.

A message appeared on his phone, and he sighed and reached through his pocket to answer.

The conditioning has begun. Open live stream?

Lex sighed and handed the briefcase to Mercy, who took it without question and held it carefully.

Lex hit Yes and muted the volume, opened a recording file and connected a flashdrive to his phone, not bothering to glance down at the screen.

He'd do that once his deed was done.

* * *

 **The Way Things Are**

* * *

Forty Three quivered as he was led into the laboratory room. This was it. This was his last day at the compound.

Dang it.

"Get moving freak," The agent behind him sneered, and jabbed at him with an Ecto-gun. Forty Three instinctively made himself appear smaller.

Another agent next to the first smirked, exposing a missing incisor tooth.

"You know, you're gonna leave the compound today," He started. "So because it's such a special occasion -"

Forty Three felt his heart sink into his foot. Oh crap.

"- we're gonna give you a nice present. What do you say, boys?"

The ghost boy knew exactly what was happening. The four agents surrounding him were going to beat him until he passed out, and the Scientists were going to be mad that he wasn't there for the conditioning and by the time they all found him, his ghost healing would have hidden all traces of bruises and as punishment, and he would be taken to the Shock room, bound to the table and punished.

He knew because this has happened before.

Forty Three curled into a ball and allowed each blow to hit. Each kick, jab, jeer and knife swipe made contact with his skin and mind, breaking a small piece of himself away.

A small smile appeared on his face. After the conditioning, there wasn't going to be anything left of him.

"What are you smiling about, monster?"

Instantly he realized his mistake, and tried to correct it. "N-nothing, sir!"

The agent frowned, his eyes full of rage and hatred.

"You're gonna call me master, remember? That's the deal we have, worm!"

He kicked Forty Three right in the face, and the boy went spiraling, his skinny form hardly any worth as a weight.

As they pulled out a large, faintly green knife, Forty Three felt his mind go numb.

Well, at least he was going to die when he was still himself…

"STOP!"

The four agents froze, the knife inches away from making contact with Forty Three's skin.

"Subject 43's punishment it out of your jurisdiction, Agent 5, Agent 64, Agent J and Agent X. Please return to your posts."

"Yes Agent C," They said unanimously, saluting as they left Forty Three in the hallway.

The boy was terrified, his eyes shut tightly and he trembled, waiting for it to end-

"Forty Three? I'm here now. I'm here."

He felt his body being enveloped by a woman. Care Giver. Relief flooded his senses, and Forty Three felt tears fall out of his eyes, and he sobbed in her arms.

"Did they hurt you?" She asked, auburn hair glimmering in the dim fluorescent lights.

Forty Three shook his head. "N-not more than they usually do…"

Care Giver nodded. "I see." With a small smile, she stood up and sighed as she realized her white lab coat was stained with Ectoplasm and red blood.

Forty Three noticed and immediately started to apologize. "I-I'm sorry, Care Giver! I'll clean it right away-"

The agent shook her head and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's quite alright, Forty Three."

The boy sighed in relief, and gave her the smallest hint of a smile. "T-thank you, Care Giver. For saving me."

The agent nodded, waving her other hand dismissively. "It's no trouble, Forty Three. I'm still wondering why those morons are even part of the organization."

With those words, she chuckled, and Forty Three forced his bruised shoulders to shrug.

When the woman stopped chuckling, she eyed him disdainfully and sighed. "The scientists aren't going to be pleased with you being late, Forty Three,"

His heart sunk.

"But I'm going to explain to them exactly what transpired in this hallway, and they'll pass on the Shock Therapy."

A sigh of relief escaped him.

Care Giver gave him a small smile and helped him to his feet. "Can you stand alright?"

At his reassuring nod, she reluctantly let go of him and walked side by side with him as he limped down the hallway.

"I'll miss you, Forty Three," She said quietly.

He stopped walking and turned back to face her. "Y-you will?"

She nodded, eyes glinting with sadness. "Yes." Wiping at her eyes, she added, "The directors are sending in a new ghost child after you leave."

His eyes went wide. There were others?!

She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll make sure she'll be okay."

He gave her a hopeful smile. "Will- will she love the circus? And peanuts?"

Care Giver laughed. "We'll see."

All too soon, they arrived at the door. Forty Three gulped and turned back to face the Agent. "Will I remember you after this?"

Tears sprang to her eyes as she shook her head. "I don't know."

He gave her a determined smile. "Then I'll make sure I will."

Care Giver smiled. "Okay."

She opened the door, and Forty Three slowly entered, headed towards the table.

As he lay down and they strapped him in, Care Giver sent him a reassuring smile and said, "Everything's going to be okay."

"I know."

Care Giver blinked, then smiled. "Alright then, Forty Three. I'll miss you."

She ruffled his hair just like she used to when he was younger, and the machine was placed around his head…

And Forty Three was no more.

* * *

 **The Way Things Are**

* * *

"Aw man, that really sucked!" Wally huffed, vibrating his body to shake off the mud, which landed on the nearby team members.

"Wally! Cut it out!" Robin cried, shaking off the mud.

The speedster stopped vibrating and chuckled nervously. "My bad…"

Superboy scowled and turned around, headed towards the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" M'gann called after him, hovering on the ground slightly.

"Taking a shower," Was his only reply as he stormed off.

Aqualad sighed as he watched Superboy go. Turning to Robin, he said, "That mission was a complete failure."

"You tell me! I was covered in mud! Can you believe it?!" Wally exclaimed, glaring at the globs that fell onto the ground near him.

"Yes yes, Wally, you were covered in mud. Deal with it," Robin muttered as he fiddled with the large hoverboard.

"Wat'cha doing?" Wally asked as he walked over to where Robin was. The boy wonder was typing fast on the holoboard Batman always used to debrief them on their missions.

"A hunch," Robin answered cryptically. "Remember that one robot with the weird symbol on its chest?"

Wally nodded, thinking back. "Yeah, the droid released the slime monster and blew up. What about it?"

"Well, there's a certain evil mastermind Batman and I have gone against a few times. Superman too," Robin added, and stopped typing.

A large L appeared on the screen, with a bronze oval backdrop.

"Lexcorp, its leader being Lex Luthor," Robin said, a smug look on his face.

"Isn't that given?" Wally wondered. Kaldur ignored the speedster's comment and folded his arms, looking at Robin. "And you've brought this man up because…?"

"He's being followed," A voice said. The teenagers spun around to see Batman, his black cape swishing. Black Canary was close behind, along with Red Tornado.

Wally glanced at Robin, Kaldur and M'gann. "Uh… are we in trouble?"

"Far from it," Black Canary said. "We're assigning your entire team on a mission-"

"-to infiltrate Lexcorp and find out what's going on there," Batman finished. Black Canary rolled her eyes at the Dark Knight as he eyed them all. "Where's the rest of the team?"

M'gann spoke up. "Superboy is in the showers, trying to get rid of the mud and slime."

Red Tornado hummed. "Affirmative. It also seems that the rest of you need a shower as well."

Batman sighed. "Do you think the team can handle a stealth mission?" He asked Kaldur.

The Atlantian nodded. "Yes, I believe we can pull it off."

The Dark Knight snorted. "Good, because stealth is the whole point on this mission."

"What are we looking for?" Robin asked.

"Your goal is to try and find this boy-" An image appeared on the screen. It was a teenager, like them, with black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a simple Coke themed shirt and faded pants. "-and figure out why he's been following Luthor for the past month."

More images appeared, each of different angles of Lex Luthor, all with the boy hidden in the shadows, but watching Luthor intently.

In one picture, Wally swore the boy's eyes were green, but decided it was a trick of the camera light.

"So what you're saying is that our job is to sneak into Lexcorp, hack the impossibly firewalled systems, find incriminating information, and at the same time, find this kid and figure out why he's been stalking Lex?" Robin guessed.

Wally grinned and flashed right next to Robin, putting his arm on the Boy Wonder's shoulder. "I'm in!"

Black Canary and Batman exchanged glances.

"We know you're in, and remember- don't use any sort of radios in Lexcorp. Luthor monitors all the frequencies in his building, and surrounding areas." Black Canary warned.

Wally waved his hand dismissively. "We know, we know!"

M'gann rolled her eyes at him and asked, "So the entire team is being deployed?"

Red Tornado nodded. "Affirmative. You will be split into teams of two, one to keep watch while Robin hacks the systems and another to find and interrogate the boy."

"What's the boy's name?" Kaldur asked.

"We don't know," Batman growled. "There's no record of him anywhere. Birth records, social security number- Nothing."

"It's like he doesn't exist," Black Canary added solemnly. "He could be a meta-human in disguise, so be careful."

Kaldur nodded and dipped his head respectfully. "We shall, Black Canary."

"But before you embark on your latest assignment," Red Tornado said, "I estimate all of you wish to shower first?"

With a unanimous call of "YES!" the rest of the team headed towards the showers, and Batman handed Robin a flash drive.

"Put as much information on this as you can," He said.

Robin nodded. "Got it." The boy tucked the flash drive in his Utility Belt and followed the others.

When it was only the three Leaguers left in the room, Black Canary turned to face Batman.

"Are you certain they can handle this? From the information we've uncovered about that boy-"

"I know," Batman said solemnly, "They can handle this. And if Red Tornado's hunch pays off, we might just have a new team member."

Black Canary folded her arms and sighed. "If that boy doesn't kill them first, you mean."

"I shall be on standby, keeping close monitor of the team as they undergo their mission. If the boy proves to be a significant threat, Superman shall be called in and I shall escort the team to safety."

Black Canary sighed, glancing back at the holoboard, where an image of the boy was still displayed.

"That poor boy…"

* * *

 **The Way Things Are**

* * *

He watched from afar as his master made a speech, calculating the movements of the crowd and determining whether the man, "Bruce Wayne" posed a significant threat. The man screamed combat strategy, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

The boy sighed and stretched his arms, keeping a wary eye on his master as he did so.

This was boring. Sitting and observing was a waste of his talents. His master knew this, and yet continued to order him to watch, observe and protect when necessary.

Boring.

While he didn't feel the urge to kill, his desire was even greater: He wanted to fight. He needed to prove his worth to his master, to ensure his owner recognized his strength and talent and praised him for it.

Praise. That hadn't ever come his way.

Had it?

He had no recollection of his life before being given to his master. His master told him that he was fourteen years old, but the boy didn't care for this information. In his opinion, he was but a month old.

And yet he wasn't a baby. Strange.

He knew simple things. He knew he was a Ghost, an emotionless monster incapable of feelings and killed anyone and anything in their way.

His abusive parents killed him when he was a child, and he came back as a ghost. The Light found him and took him out of pity, hoping that he would become a valuable asset.

He was determined to make sure they realized their efforts weren't a waste.

Did ghosts say afterlife instead? If so, then since they were already dead, what did they say instead of kill and die?

Hmm. He'd have to ask one before he ripped out it's core.

"…and that is all for today. Thank you." His master ended his speech, and exited the podium.

He sat at attention, calm blue eyes scanning for any sort of threat his master could be under.

"Thank you, thank you, I'm sure your idea will make headlines," His master said to random humans in the vicinity, shaking hands with practically everyone.

He stood up, sinking back into the shadows as the 'banquet' as his master referred to it, was beginning to close. He felt comfortable in the shadows, with no one to notice him or to accidently bring attention to himself.

He found it reassuring.

"We're going," His master said to no one in particular, but he knew instantly that the phrase was directed to him, and the boy followed his master quickly, eyeing the cyborg "MERCY" with distrust.

Did his master not have enough faith in him to protect?

His blue eyes gleamed with determination. He will prove to his master that he was far more capable than that stupid robot. He would try to take down Superman if he had to.

His master entered the limousine, as did Mercy as she took her place in the driver's seat, started the engine and began the drive back to their home.

He didn't know what it was called. Nor did he care, for that manner. His master spent the entirety of his time there, as did Mercy and himself, which made it home.

Adding to that fact was that his master had installed a hidden room in his office, a room with no doors and lead lining to prevent any "Prying red eyes to take a peep," His master had told him.

It was a small room, not very big, but it was enough. He had a bed, a large supply of ectoplasm, and three spare changes of clothes.

That was new to him. More than one pair of clothes, and he wasn't even allowed to wash them himself! The humans here insisted on washing them for him, throwing his clothes and a sticky ointment into a large, square machine that filled with liquid and a fluffy substance called 'suds.'

After first discovering the machines, he resolved to invisibly watch the servants do the 'laundry,' as it was called.

Why call it something else when they were merely washing clothes? Humans were strange.

And yet they were also amazing. The many things they could do! It never ceased to amaze him at the vast intellect of some humans.

And yet some were so stupid it was laughable.

He had quite the shock discovering some people did dumb, incredibly stupid things for a living. Why publicly embarrass yourself? Was the income that grand? If so, why didn't other people do it?

He had thought about asking his master, but later decided against it. His master was far too busy with more important things, and his task was to protect his master, not feed his curiosity.

And yet he couldn't stop the never ending questions swarming in his mind.

"Are you alright?"

He snapped out of his thoughts at his master's words. "You've been staring at nothing for a while now."

Did his master think he was defective?!

Rushing to correct his mistakes, the boy quickly bowed his head low, saying, "No, master. I was merely thinking of… things."

"Such as?"

Should he tell his master? Would his master believe him to be defective from his thoughts, and terminate him?

He fought back a shudder. Now he understood why humans always used the term, "Curiosity killed the cat." He was most certainly dead.

"…about the marvels of humankind," He confessed. "The many things your species can do… I find it amazing."

"Good to know you hold humans in high regard," His master grumbled. "Now, we will be returning to the office, but I don't wish for you to return to your room yet," He added.

"I wanted to see if you would like an alias."

He blinked. A what?

Catching onto the boy's confusion, his master added, "A fake name. It must be boring without one."

He frowned. A name… would he want a name? Did having a name improve his ability to protect his master?

Still a bit confused, he nodded. "I shall do whatever master wishes of me."

"Even if it's jumping off a bridge?"

He blinked. His master… what?

Chuckling, his master shook his head. "Belay that, it was a simple metaphor," He said, and eyed the boy in a new light.

Damn, this kid was too obedient.

"So, do you want a name or not?" His master asked, no annoyance in his tone as the limousine pulled up into 'home.'

He nodded. "Yes, master. I believe it shall be beneficial."

His master sighed. "Yes, well… Mercy, please park here."

Obeying her orders, the cyborg parked the car, exited and opened the door for his master while the boy simply phased through the door. What was the point of opening something when you could simply walk through it?

As they entered the lobby, he once again kept to the shadows, knowing that his master didn't want to bring more attention to himself.

While he didn't fully understand the harm in being close to his master to defend him from harm, he obeyed his orders nothing less and continued to remain as unnoticeable as possible.

He sighed, closing his eyes as he remained several paces behind his master, keeping to the shadows and turning invisible whenever anyone walked by.

This was the way things would always be.

Nothing would ever change that.

* * *

 **The Way Things Are**

* * *

 _Okay, this was longer than the first chapter. Next time! His master gives him a name just as Young Justice is discovered in the building! What's gonna happen? Is he gonna come to his senses and escape with them right away?_

 _No chance in hell :p_

 _I want to keep going on at how the GIW really messed him up big time. While there wasn't much torture scenes, there is a lot coming up next chapter._

 _AND YOU PEOPLE GET TO CHOOSE HIS NAME! I AM TAKING SUGGESTIONS! What I was thinking of were:_

 _-Dayton Foster or Daeton Foster  
_

 _-Shayne or Shane_

 _-Dallek_

 _-Winchester [For the gun. Not Supernatural. (Sorry!)]_

 _-Dagger [For the weapon.]_

 _His hero name shall remain. The. Same. Please and thank you._

 _Dani, on the other hand, is making an appearance in this story! But that won't be for a while. So vote for her hero name!_

 _IF YOU HAVE A SUGGESTION LEAVE IT IN THE REVIEW BOX! I WANT AT LEAST 15 REVIEWS BEFORE I POST THE NEXT CHAPTER!_

 _[Which is gonna take me a while. But considering this only took me... meh, 3 hours to write? I'll be fine. :p]_

 ** _THERE IS A POLL ON MY PROFILE TO VOTE FOR DANI'S HERO NAME!_**

 ** _PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW ON WHAT YOU THINK OF MY STORY SO FAR! IT REALLY HELPS!_**


	3. Simple Truths

_. . ._

 _I feel bad now for taking this long to update. But heeey! You all reviewed! Thanks for that :P_

 _And Danny's name is... Dun dun duuun - **Dagger**! 9 votes for it. Hero name will remain Phantom. Please and thank you._

 _Dani's 'human' name is gonna be **Mansume** , courtesy of **Ethan Demas**. Thanks man! Superhero name shall be **Banshee**. It got the most votes... I'm sorry..._

 _Sooo... anyways, this is where the magic happens!_

 _[And yes, he's gonna hate M'gann. Kind of.]_

 _AND WHY IN GODS NAME DOES THE IMAGE TO THIS STORY KEEP CHANGING!? GAAAAAH!_

* * *

 **Danny Phantom and Young Justice doesn't belong to me. Sad, though - I want another season of both.**

* * *

 _Who wants to beta read for this story? Leave a review and get right to it! :D_

* * *

 **Simple Truths**

* * *

M'gann flew the bioship along, camouflage mode engaged as the team traveled in silence, with the occasional munch from Wally.

Kaldur was nervous because, as the newly declared team leader, he was responsible for making sure the mission didn't turn out to be a flop.

Robin was nervous because half of the mission rode on his shoulders, including to keep stealthy the entire time.

Superby was nervous about the boy they were supposed to recover; he could tell, even in those pictures, something wasn't right about him.

M'gann was curious about sneaking into an earthling building and made a resolution not to snoop around in anything and focus solely on the mission.

Wally was despairing over the fact he was running out of food.

"So everyone knows the plan?" Kaldur finally asked, breaking the silence.

Wally nodded, nonchalantly popping a chip into his mouth. "Sure thing."

Ignoring the speedster, Robin decided to answer. "We sneak in, split into our teams of two, and I gather all the intel I can on what Luthor is up to, while M'gann, Wally and Superboy try to find and recover the boy."

Kaldur nodded, but internally he was breathing a sigh of relief.

"Should I establish the telepathic link now?" M'gann offered.

Kaldur nodded. "Alright."

The faint buzzing noise occurred in their minds, then it faded.

 _Everyone on?_ M'gann asked.

 _Yes._

 _Sure thing, boss man!_

 _Shut it, Speedy._

M'gann chuckled at them, shaking her head as she turned the Bioship, soaring past a sign that said, "You are now leaving Smallville! Have a great day!"

 _After the mission,_ She started to ask, _Is it possible to go back to Metropolis?_

Robin shrugged. _I don't know if we'll ever have any missions here again. Besides, Lex is more of Superman's thing. He won't be happy we're heading inside._

Superboy turned to look at the Martian. _Why do you want to go back?_

M'gann grinned. _Because it's one of the most popular tourist attractions on Earth! It's where Superman patrols in all his glory!_

Robin swore there were stars in her eyes.

Superboy scowled, turning away from M'gann and looking out the window instead.

Wally sighed. _Great. Now he's all moody._

M'gann realized her mistake, looking sullen. _Superboy, I'm sorry…_

The Clone gave her a fake smile. _It's… alright,_ He started. _Not your fault._

She breathed a sigh of relief, and the other boys exchanged a glance. They knew he was faking it.

And how can you lie on a telepathic link again?

After about a good ten minutes, M'gann shouted, _THERE!_

They all winced at the sound in their minds, and she gave them an apologetic glance before pointing out the window.

 _We're here… Metropolis!_

Robin nodded, pointing towards a large, black steel skyscraper. _There's Lexcorp._

Superboy scowled, cracking his fingers.

 _Hello, misplaced aggression._

* * *

 **Simple Truths**

* * *

He followed his master into the office, automatically walking towards his room but remembering his orders to remain in the office and obliged, not making eye contact with his master.

His master sighed with relief and sat down in the chair behind the desk. The boy made no move to sit, eyeing the cyborg warily as 'she' stood by the door, having already received orders to act as a guard.

His eyes hardened. He should be the one protecting his master, not that horrible impersonation of machinery.

"So," His master started, "Do you have any ideas for your name?"

He frowned. "No. I apologize for not thinking ahead, master." Internally, he was chastising himself for not following his master's direction.

Idiot.

The man chuckled. "It's quite alright. I already have some ideas of my own. Care to hear them?"

He nodded, listening intently as his master listed all of the possible names.

"There's Dayton, Shane… Hmm, Winchester could act as a last name… Dallek, Dagger-"

The boy gasped. That was it.

"Master…?"

The man stopped rambling and looked at the boy, dipping his head as a sign to continue.

"I believe I would like the name… Dagger."

His master smiled. Maybe now 'Dagger' would have some form of identity now.

"Why do you wish to be called this?"

The boy paused, a frown taking hold. Why indeed?

Ah. Now he remembered.

"Because I feel it makes me… dangerous, and slightly intimidating," He answered slowly, "And because don't most heroes and villians have separate names?"

His master nodded. "That is correct, but if you want to be called Dagger, you'll need a last name."

His eyes widened, but he fought to keep himself calm and neutral. "Then… I can be called Dagger?"

His master nodded, a small smile forming on his face as he saw the pure joy and excitement on the boy's face.

"Sure. I'll see what I can do to find you a last name."

The boy – No, Dagger – Grinned widely, unable to keep his joy down any longer. He had a name now! He could help his master even more!

* * *

 **Simple Truths**

* * *

 _Remember; Stealth is key,_ Kaldur reminded them.

Wally nodded, pressing the button on his suit, turning its yellow and red colors into a dark grey and pitch black. Soon, they were all dressed in the same fashion, and split into their assigned groups: M'gann, Superboy and Wally as one group to find the boy, and Kaldur and Robin to recover intel.

M'gann parked the bioship in an alley, keeping it in camouflage mode as the five teens snuck near the Lexcorp building, invisible due to M'gann's shielding.

The Martian phased through the wall, Superboy and Wally in tow. Robin slipped through an air vent, Kaldur following close behind.

They weren't prepared in the slightest for what would happen next.

* * *

 **Simple Truths**

* * *

Dagger smiled to himself as he lay in his bed, blue eyes focused on the cielling.

He had a name now. A name, and that meant his master cared for him.

Another thought came to him. Human children called their male parent 'father.' Was Lex Luthor… his father?

He sat up and looked at his reflection in the mirror on his wall, then compared it to a mental image of his master. No… they looked nothing alike.

Another thought, a whisper of doubt, surfaced. Who gave birth to you?

His abuse parents, but they were long dead.

Do you have any siblings?

The thought was so random he nearly fell off his bed in surprise.

Do I have any siblings?

A brother?

A… sister?

Dagger shook his head. No, he didn't, and if he did, he would have grown up with them in the compound. So that meant if, IF, he had siblings, they were dead. Or Care Giver –

He froze. Compound? Care Giver? Where were these thoughts coming from?! He was supposed to be protecting his master, not musing in his room!

That decided, Dagger phased through the wall and scanned his master's office for any irregularities.

He froze when he saw them. Two males, one that was human, and another that seemed… irregular. Remaining invisible, he slowly exited the wall and watched them. They seemed to be communicating, but no words –

There was a telepath in the building.

Hatred swelled inside of him, hatred he had no urge to dismiss. Whatever had happened in his life before, he was certain of one thing:

He hated telepaths.

That was a simple truth.

* * *

 **Simple Truths**

* * *

Wally sighed. _So, any ideas where this guy is? We've looked everywhere for him!_

Superboy nodded. _He's right, M'gann. Do you have any idea where he is?_

M'gann let out a sigh of frustration. _No, and I don't know why! I can tell where anyone on the planet is via their mental signature, so why he isn't might-_

She froze, her words halting as her eyes widened. _What if… Luthor killed him? Only the dead can escape a Martian._

Wally and Superboy glanced at each other, faces grim.

 _But maybe he's just locked in a room where I won't be able to get him… that might be it…_

A smile spread across her face, and she floated in the air. _I found him!_ She exclaimed, and soared along the hallway, Superboy and Wally following close behind.

As they traveled down the hallway, the lights flickered, then went out. Wally stopped running. _Um... guys? Anyone else creeped out?_

Superboy shook his head. _No, but this can't be a coincidence. Lights going out just as M'gann finds this guy?_

 _Wally! Superboy!_

Both boys immediately rushed to M'gann's side, surprised to see a boy blocking their path, the very boy shown in the images at the cave.

Slowly, M'gann approached him. "Hi… I'm M'gann, and these are my friends, Kid Flash and Superboy."

The boy looked startled, and took a step back, blue eyes wavering on a border of doing… something. Seeing this, Superboy was on alert, watching the boy's every move.

"Uh, yeah… What's your name?" Wally asked the boy nervously, trying to calm him down.

The boy seemed to drop his guard for a moment, saying, "My name is Dagger, and you three are part of the covert operation deployed by the Justice League known as 'Young Justice.' You have two other teammates, Kaldur'ahm from Atlantis and Robin, the gifted protégé of Batman, leader of the League."

The three of them were on high alert as the boy's eyes started to glow a sickening toxic green, waves of light coming off his eyes, which glowed with no color.

"In other words, you are the enemy of my master, and the enemies are always… ended."

Rings traveled up the boy's body, changing his appearance. His clothes morphed into a black hazmat suit, with white gloves to match. His hair turned starch white, and he floated in mid-air, his hands glowing with bright green energy.

 _Um, Robin? Kaldur?_ Wally sent out weakly. _We have a bit of a situation…_

* * *

 **Simple Truths**

* * *

 _Wally? Wally! What's the situation?_

No answer came.

"Damn, the link is down," Kaldur hissed, glancing at Robin, who was typing furiously on the keyboard. "How long until-"

"Done!" The boy wonder exclaimed, smirking as he grabbed the flashdrive from the port and quickly exited the office, sending out, _You guys hold on! We're moving in on your position!_

As the two sped down the corridors, they heard the faint crashing sounds of a fight.

But against who?

Their answer came when they rounded the last corner and saw Wally zipping around a boy with white hair and neon green eyes, dressed in a skin tight hazmat suit. The boy seemed to regard Wally as a mere annoyance, and with a single punch, cast him aside, firing a few more blasts of green energy towards the speedster to make sure he stayed down.

Superboy roared and charged at the boy, fists ready, but he merely shot out of the way, revealing to Robin and Kaldur's shock, that he could fly.

The boy's legs morphed into a single, whispy tail that was see-through, giving him the appearance of a ghost.

No… a Phantom.

"Help M'gann!" Superboy roared, dodging a poorly aimed energy blast, and using brute strength, threw the boy through several walls.

Robin started searching for the green Martian, seeing her struggle to her feet, holding her head in her hands and moaning.

"M'gann!" Kaldur yelled, and ran to her side.

"I'm… fine…" She whimpered, and raised her eyes to look towards the boy. "Dagger… he isn't…"

Deciding Superboy could keep 'Dagger' busy for now, Kaldur helped M'gann to her feet, with Robin asking, "What do you mean?"

"His mind…" M'gann started, wincing for a moment and then resuming her sentence. "It's… wrong. Everything is just… locked away. It feels like he's dead… but there's always the same thing…"

"Like what?" Kaldur asked. M'gann looked him in the eyes, hers full of pain.

"Obey your master and the Light."

Robin frowned. "The light?" He glanced at Kaldur, who shrugged and dodged a stray ecto-blast, preparing his sorcery blades to defend M'gann.

"I have… a plan…" M'gann whispered to Robin, who beckoned towards Kaldur.

"If I can… get inside his mind…" M'gann started, wincing in pain once more and continuing her broken speech, "… I might be able to help him."

"And get him on our side?" Robin guessed, grinning when M'gann nodded slowly. "Sweet."

" What do we need to do?" Kaldur asked. M'gann took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"Do exactly as I say."

Dagger fought to hide his grin as he struggled to his feet after Superboy nailed him through a wall. Now… now he could prove to his master he was worthy of protecting him, not that infernal machine.

And these five… seemed to be worthy opponents. He sighed when he noticed gashes on his torso, and cuts in his attire. Oh well, he healed quickly. Even if they cut off his arm, it would grow back… Eventually.

He frowned when he saw the two boys in the office clustered around the girl from before; a girl who was the telepath he hated.

Finally getting a full grip on himself, Dagger shot towards them, but the human from before, the speedster, Kid Flash, grabbed hold of his tail and held tight, running in the opposite direction and shouting, "I don't think so!"

Dagger growled at the minor annoyance; who he really wanted to fight was Superboy. He was full of righteous anger, and powerful enough to cause him to bleed.

Dagger loved it.

Kid Flash stopped running, and using his super speed, nailed Dagger with dozens of punches, causing the ghost boy to wince. Man, that hurt.

"Why are you attacking us?!" The speedster asked, dodging an ecto-blast and nailing Dagger in the stomach, causing the boy to fall to the ground in pain. "What the heck did we do!?"

Dagger winced and pulled himself to his feet. "You… are here to… harm my master…" He said, gasping for air. Dang, did he bruise a lung? "I… won't let you…"

The African boy raised his arms in surrender, eyes placid and pleading. "We are not here to harm your master, Dagger."

He froze, not dropping his stance but allowing himself to stop hovering, landing on the tile in confusion.

"That's your name, correct?"

Dagger nodded slowly, trying to make sense of what was going on.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to himself. "My name is Kaldur'ahm, also known as Aqualad. He-" He pointed towards another boy, one with a mask concealing his face and a black cape. "-is Robin."

Dagger was confused. If they weren't here to harm his master, why were they here?

"I saw you two," Dagger said slowly, pointing towards the named Kaldur'ahm and Robin, "In my master's office, preparing an assassination attempt. You three," He gestured towards M'gann, Superboy and Kid Flash, "-were looking for him to carry out your plan."

Kid Flash burst out laughing. "You've gotta be kidding me! We were here for you!"

Those were the wrong words to say, however, as Dagger was immediately back on high alert, hands glowing, eyes full of… fear?

"I'M NOT GOING BACK THERE!" He roared, and attacked again. Kid Flash yelped and sped out of the way, Kaldur'ahm cursing after the speedster. Robin pulled M'gann out of the way, as she was still muddled, and Superboy once again charged their attacker.

Superboy gritted his teeth as the energy surrounding Dagger's hands expanded, a glowing white aura starting to appear.

 _Something tells me this just entered a whole new world of complicated,_ Superboy deadpanned and dodged Dagger's now finely tuned attacks.

Dagger grew irritated as Superboy nailed him through a wall- again. In retaliation, the boy charged full speed at Superboy, green eyes glinting red. Taken by surprise, the clone was hurled down the hallway, creating a dent in the linoleum floor.

Kid Flash, having already been filled in on the plan, ran circles around Dagger, creating a whirl wind to suck out the oxygen.

To their surprise, Dagger wasn't gasping for breath. He looked winded, but nothing to suggest oxygen deprivation.

Superboy struggled to his feet, getting annoyed with how many times Dagger nailed him through a wall and roared, charging Dagger at full force.

Kid Flash stopped running and zipped out of the way. Disoriented, Dagger was taken by surprise when Superboy held him in a chest lock, arms pinned behind his back.

Dagger struggled as hard as he could, finally resorting to phasing back into human form to get out of Superboy's grasp, hopeful that the foreign feeling would get him to let go, but to no avail.

M'gann walked up to Dagger, her eyes shining a bright green, and her voice resounded inside his head.

 _Let me in._

His barriers broke as she thrust her way inside his consciousness.

* * *

 **Simple Truths**

* * *

M'gann was horrified at the inside of Dagger's mind. She was in an enclosed room, with a boy screaming in pain on a lab table, green and red blood seeping out of various wounds.

Faceless adults in lab coats encircled him, some brandishing tasers, others their fists. On Dagger's head was a circular device that thrummed and vibrated, and M'gann knew she had to do something.

Taking action, she forced the scientists to disperse, but he didn't stop screaming. Quickly, she reached for the device above his head, struggling to get it off of him, and succeeded. It fell to the ground in a heap, shattering into nothingness as it hit the linoleum floor.

She moved to attempt to heal his wounds, but as she reached a hand towards him, a blast of energy pushed her away. Startled, she looked up to find him glaring at her, his eyes a flaming red.

"Get… out… of… my… HEAD!"

Barriers reinforced themselves, and M'gann found herself back inside her own body again, Dagger struggling against Superboy.

"What did you do to me?!" He screamed, struggling to break free. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?"

The white aura encircling him expanded, his eyes mere trails of neon green vapor. Superboy let him go, only to find himself being rammed through several layers of wall once again.

Wally readied himself in a prepared running stance, and Robin reached for his gadgets. Kaldur readied his swords, and M'gann only stood there, staring at him in shock and mortification.

"Why do you obey them?" She whispered. Dagger's aura faded slightly, and the rest of the team stayed prepared. Who knew what he would do.

"Because it is my duty to protect," He snarled, green eyes boring into her own. "I live to obey my master's orders."

Wally gaped at him. "Why? What's the point?"

Dagger glared at him, but made no move to attack. "Because it is what I was built to do!"

M'gann shook her head and took a step forward, eyes full of pity and compassion. But what she was about to say was lost in the thrumming of incoming feet.

"Dagger!"

He turned to see Lex Luthor, a girl in a business suit behind him. In the billionaires hands was a large, black gun that screamed, _'Get hit by this and you're dead.'_

He surveyed the damage to the hallway and glared at his uninvited guests. Pointing the bazooka in their direction, his eyes were cold as he stated calmly, "End them."

Dagger instantly returned into his fighting stance, aiming his energy blasts towards M'gann, but Robin pulled her aside at the last second and threw a handful of black marbles at Luthor and Mercy. Dagger immediately changed tactics and destroyed the smoke bombs, releasing the smoke.

Realizing that his targets were escaping through the fog, Dagger shot blindly, eyes burning in frustration. When the smoke cleared, however, they were gone, the destroyed hallway and Dagger's various wounds the only thing that betrayed they had been there.

Dagger returned to human form, winded and drained. He panted heavily, having exerted much of his power in the fight, and was dimly aware of the cyborg picking him up and carrying him back towards the office.

* * *

 **Simple Truths**

* * *

Inside the bioship, no one said a word, too shaken at the fate they had narrowly escaped. Dagger had nearly killed them, and easily took out Superboy time and time again.

Wally's tactics and super speed had no effect, and he also had a suspicion that Dagger didn't need to breath to survive.

Superboy felt useless; Dagger had took him out time and time again, and in that narrow hallway, there wasn't many things he could use in a fight.

Kaldur felt useless; he hardly fought in the battle whatsoever and ended up playing defense.

Robin saw himself as a failure, and glancing at his teammates, wondered if bringing Young Justice together really was the right choice. He gripped the flash drive in his hand; the mission wasn't a complete failure, however.

They flew in silence, until M'gann turned to Kaldur and asked in a pleading tone, "Do you think you can take over?"

The atlantian was so surprised at the request all he could do was nod.

Quickly, the bioship unstrapped him from his seat, and he traded places with M'gann, eyeing the controls nervously.

M'gann flopped into the seat, staring dead ahead with a vacant expression.

"Um… M'gann?" Wally asked hesitantly. "Are you…?"

The Martian nodded, wiping at her eyes. "I'm fine, but Dagger…" She shook her head, looking Wally dead in the eyes. "They've tortured him there, Wally. They torture him and experiment on him and abuse him and he still stays there."

Silence permeated the bioship, until Robin held the flash drive aloft, saying grimly, "I can make a copy of this, and we can look through one while Batman looks at the other one." He fixed M'gann with a completely serious face. "If what you say is true, we're busting him out, willingly or not."

"No one deserves that kind of life," Kaldur agreed.

The time passed slowly, with everyone going over various wounds. Wally and Superboy had received the brunt of Dagger's attacks. Kaldur and Robin had various bruises, while M'gann was completely untouched.

As they flew inside Mount Justice, Kaldur slowly parked the bioship and the five teen heroes left, Superboy failing to disguise a limp.

Black Canary was the first to see them, eyeing them over quickly before turning to Robin and asking, "Do you have the drive?"

With the boy wonder's nod, she sighed and asked dryly, "I take it the boy wasn't too happy with the idea of coming with you?"

Wally shook his head. "Not a chance. And by the way, kid's name is Dagger, apparently."

Canary blinked as the speedster zipped past them, probably headed towards the infirmary to get his wounds checked out. Superboy lumbered after the speedster, the ever present scowl quite visible.

Canary turned to Kaldur. "Fill me in."

As the atlantian opened his mouth to reply, a voice behind them called out, "He won't do that now. The team needs to rest first. Debriefing can wait until after they've been checked over."

It was Batman. The Dark Knight's face was set in its usual scowl as he walked towards them.

Turning towards Robin, he extended his hand for the flash drive. Robin handed it to his mentor and turned towards Kaldur. "I'm gonna hit the showers," He said and walked after Wally and Superboy.

M'gann moved to follow, but Batman blocked her path. "After the shower, meet in the mission room for a debrief."

The Martian nodded and flew after the boys. Kaldur gave Batman a questioning glance before he too followed after the team.

"That boy… he's powerful, Batman. He took out the team, and would have had Luthor not intervened."

Batman nodded, looking Canary in the eyes. "I know. That's why I sent them; to see if they were strong enough as a team."

"Are they?" Her tone was questioning, but there was an undertone that seemed to say, _You're really asking for it._

"No. They need more training, more discipline," Batman answered. Black Canary sighed. "They're going to try again, you know."

Batman nodded. "I know."

* * *

 **Simple Truths**

* * *

Dagger opened his eyes to find himself in his room, laying on his back, facing the ceiling. With a small wince, he sat up and tried to stretch, only to find he was still sore from the fight.

 _"Why do you obey them?"_

Dagger frowned, shaking his head in an effort to ignore the voice, but it persisted.

 _"Why do you obey them?"_

He obeyed because it was his purpose. His purpose was to protect.

 _"Why? What's the point?"_

He stopped. The point was because… it was what he was made to do. He was supposed to protect his master.

That was why he was alive.

He stood up, momentarily dizzy, but when the feeling passed he phased through the wall and saw the office was empty once again, except for his master, who was talking on his phone.

 _"What's the point?"_

He growled, blue eyes glowing a faint green. The voices stopped, but he could feel them in the back of his mind, itching to be answered.

Now in complete favor of ignoring the voices, Dagger turned himself visible and smiled inwardly at his master's surprised face when he flickered into view.

"Yes… yes, I know. Yeah, he's still alive." He paused, sighing at the voice on the other end of the line. "Yes, those pesky brats are still alive. They got away before Dagger terminated them."

Dagger blinked, eyeing the phone curiously. Who was his master talking to?

"Yes, I'll have him get to it soon. Look, I'll call you back." With that, Luthor ended the call, brows furrowed and looking a bit irritated.

"When did you wake up?"

Dagger hesitated in his answer. "A few minutes ago, master." He answered genuinely, and winced as the feeling, the urge grew stronger. But to do what?

Luthor relaxed in his chair, looking a bit relieved. "Do you feel up to going after Young Justice again?"

Dagger blinked. "And to what?"

Luthor sighed. "Terminate them. The Light has become slightly worried that they will pose a threat to their plans, and have instructed you to terminate them."

Dagger nodded slowly, a mental frown forming. They wanted him to… kill someone? To kill five people? Why?

And at the same time, he knew why, and that half wanted to obey without question. The other half protected strongly, and yet it was weak, as if it had been asleep for a long time and finally opened its eyes.

Dagger knew, though, that the feeling he was receiving wasn't the urge to terminate Young Justice.

But what was it?

* * *

 **Simple Truths**

* * *

Two weeks had passed since the Team encountered Dagger. Batman had quickly created a profile of the boy, detailing his abilities as explained by the team.

The five teenagers huddled around a single laptop, each dressed in swimwear. The plan was to pose as if they were going to the beach, and Wally was disappointed over the idea of not going swimming, but they all agreed that figuring out exectly what Luthor was up to and what the League was hiding from them was more important.

Currently, they were all in Superboy's room, which was simply adorned with a bed, a closet, a dresser holding spare black T-shirts and jeans, and a few pairs of sneakers.

Wally took one look at the room and offered to paint it over for him, but Superboy declined.

"Alright, you guys ready?" Robin asked. They all nodded, and Wally zipped out of the room and ran all over the base, returning with a bag of chips in hand. "Bats and Canary are out; Tornado is in his den so we're green for go."

Superboy frowned. "Why does everyone say that…?"

Everyone ignored his question and instead watched the screen as Robin clicked on a folder labeled, "Subject 43 – First Trials."

A video appeared, with a young boy that was unmistakably Dagger. He was in his power form, dodging attacks from all sides of the training area he was in, green eyes blazing with determination.

Three minutes later, he won against a staggering number of thirty five opponents. In the video, he was only eight years old.

Frowning, Robin exited the file and scrolled down, trying find something that would give them a good idea of his life in the compound, not just training.

Another file caught the boy wonder's interest; labeled 'Scientific Enhancments – Fiftieth Trial,' Robin had a sinking feeling as the video loaded.

Their eyes opened in shock as they saw a ten year old Dagger strapped to a table, eyes closed and his body trembling with fear as the scientist advanced.

"Subject 43 has disobeyed protocol by engaging in a fight with Agents 5, 64, J and X. Trials have been suspended until it is fully obedient to the cause."

The scientist adjusted his glasses before picking up a faintly glowing scapel, and walked up to the boy, who opened his eyes and for a brief moment, there was a fighting spirit in those eyes, proof that he wasn't broken.

But then the spark faded and he went limp, ready for his inevitable punishment. The scientist licked his lips, an insane gleam in his dark brown eyes.

"Proceeding with the appropriate punishment," He said, and brought the scapel down into Dagger's stomach. The boy screamed in pain, and the scientist tsked. "None of that is permitted, Subject 43. You know this."

The boy whimpered before falling still again, biting his teeth and eyes squeezed tight, waiting for the next blow.

The team grew sick as Dagger was stabbed several more times before a collar was placed around his neck, the remote in the man's hand.

"What is your purpose?"

Dagger looked ready to pass out from the pain, green blood trickling out of the wounds as he finally got out, "O-obey the Light…"

The man pressed a button and Dagger screamed, his voice raw. "No stuttering. What is your purpose, Subject 43?"

M'gann brought her hands to her mouth as the video was cut. A few seconds later, the scientist appeared on screen again, looking haggard, but the insane gleam still remained in his eyes.

"Subject 43 has responded well with the punishment. Conditioning is advised for later by the higher ups, but our division wants to see how much pain he can take…"

He licked his lips again, and Robin moved to stop the video, except Superboy stopped him. "Look," the clone said and pointed behind the scientist, who was still talking.

Dagger had escaped his bonds and was slowly walking up to the man, a dead look in his eyes. His hand coated itself in green energy, and he rammed it into the man's stomach. The scientist looked shocked, and turned his head to see Dagger mumble, "My purpose is to end trash like you."

The scientist pressed a red button, and sirens blared. The scientist slumped to the floor, seemingly dead, and Dagger fixed his eyes on the camera, a gleam of desperation in the green orbs.

"Please… get me out of here…"

The video stopped then, and the team was completely silent, until Wally zipped out of the room, everyone's costumes in hand. A determined look was on his face as he growled, "We are so getting him out of there."

* * *

 **Simple Truths**

* * *

Quickly, the team dressed in their attire and headed towards the bioship only to see Batman, Black Canary, Red Tornado and Green Arrow standing around in the Mission room.

As per the plan, Wally zeta-tubed inside the Mountain, a large mountain of swimming stuff in hand. He ran forward, exclaiming, "I'm here!" only to trip on a noodle and fall flat on his face.

M'gann laughed and used her telepathy to lift the items off of Wally's injured form, and was surprised to hear another voice join in.

It was another girl, wearing a green outfit with a bow and quiver strapped to her back. She chuckled at Wally's face-plant and eyed the rest of the team, who were confused.

Robin eyed M'gann pointedly, and she quickly activated a telepathic link, just in time for them all to hear Robin's words: _I think something's come up._

 _Ya think?_ Wally sent dryly, moving away from his stuff and glancing at the assembled heroes. _I just made myself look like an idiot in front of Green Arrow! Green Arrow, guys!_

Superboy rolled his eyes. _Don't look so miffed,_ he sent with a sly smirk. _You achieve that all the time._

Wally glared at Superboy, and Kaldur quickly intervened. _The plan is changed, not abandoned. Whatever the League is planning, it involves us and our new teammate._

Wally blinked. _New team mate?_

Superboy rolled his eyes, glancing at M'gann and saying, _Is my point proven?_

The Martian chuckled and nodded, allowing the link to remain active as she sent, _I bet we're looking incredibly rude right now, so speak out loud guys. We can discuss the plan later._

Wally started grumbling under his breath as he finally moved all of the swimming things out of the way.

"I'm Kid Flash," He said, handing the girl a hand, "But these guys call me Wally."

"And idiot, and moron, speedster, food fanatic…" Robin piped up, a grin on his face. Wally glared at the boy wonder, who just grinned and looked at the girl, giving her a mock salute. "I'm Robin."

"I am Kaldur'ahm, but my friends address me as Kaldur," Kaldur said with a small smile.

"He's also the team leader," Wally added.

"Hi! I'm M'gann, and this is Superboy," M'gann introduced with a smile, hovering above the ground out of habit. Superboy acknowledged the girl with a simple nod, eyeing Green Arrow, Batman and Black Canary curiously.

The girl nodded, looking a bit miffed at having to remember all their names, but proceeded anyways. "I'm Artemis, Green Arrow's new-"

"Padawan?" Wally guessed, a mischievous grin on his face. Artemis laughed at him, shaking her head.

"No, I'm his-"

"She's my-"

 _"Niece."_

Green Arrow and Artemis both laughed at each other, giving Kaldur the opportunity to modify their plan.

 _We wait until Dagger leaves Lexcorp_ , He decided. _After freeing his individuality, he should have some doubts about following each and every order blindly._

 _And if he doesn't leave?_ Robin asked sourly, waiting for Green Arrow and Artemis to stop laughing.

Kaldur sighed, rubbing his temples. _Then we get him to listen to us._

Superboy nodded. _Sounds like an okay plan, but what about Artemis?_

The team all exchanged a glance. _Let's get to know her first before we ask her to go against the League,_ Robin suggested.

M'gann frowned. _But what if she tells them what we're planning?_

Wally shook his head, glancing at the now calming down Arrow and Artemis. _She won't, because we're gonna show her the files._

Robin nodded slowly, a grin forming on his face. _She'd have to help us then!_

* * *

 **Simple Truths**

* * *

Dagger sighed as he laid on his bed, eyes facing the ceiling. His master had left the building with Mercy an hour ago.

 _"Why do you obey them?"_

The boy sighed and closed his eyes. The voice had grown even more persistent in the weeks since the telepath had entered his mind. Dagger would have told his master, but the voice made him reluctant to. Besides, he wasn't in any mood to let any other telepath into his head to fix the damage M'gann, as she was called, wrought.

Honestly, Dagger found himself wondering what to do with himself. That half of him that wanted to obey was growing smaller and smaller, and the voice grew stronger, as did the ever present urge to say no.

 **No** to the killing, the fighting, the guarding, but always **Yes** to the protecting. Something in him always wanted to protect.

He was okay with it; protecting. But more and more, he realized the truth behind his 'master.'

 _"Why do you obey them?"_

Why indeed? Why even call him master to begin with? It's not like he was a pet, or anything.

If so, then he was a very dangerous, very ghostly pet.

Dagger groaned and rubbed his eyes, dragging his hands down his face. This sucked. Like, really, really, _really_ sucked.

A part of him longed to be ordered around, and the other half screamed at him to refuse and leave, to be free.

He didn't know what to believe anymore.


	4. The Promises I Made To You

_**Funkatron :** ... Wait, seriously? ... Are you okay with me leaving it as it is...? I don't really wanna go back and fix it all... are you fine with that? If it's okay, I'll just apologize over and over. It's been a suuuuper long time since I watched the series... Heh heh heh... ^^''_

 _ **HateIsRealAndItIsMe :** Okay. I LOVE your username. Like, seriously. A friend of mine would be all like, 'Forrest! Look! It's my dream name~!' The oddball want's to rename himself Raziel, for Dark Souls. Talk about a dedicated fan. And thank yooou! I try very hard to make my writing unique, and for this story I'm trying a different style. I really like it ;p_

 _ **EmPro8 :** ... Dude, you have no idea how long I type up my chapters. Seriously. It takes me a record of two days to get 50k words down, and that's when I have homework. Sam and Tucker will come into play! I promise! I have an entire arc planned out for Jazz's appearance too, but be prepared for some MAJOR derailing from cannon._

 _ **MiaulinK :** _ GASP _Are you really THE MiaulinK?!_ FRANTICALLY CHECKS YOUR PROFILE _Oh maw gawd I love your stories! Dude! I feel so awesome right now!_

 _ **KidGenius /** **16ckelmen :** Care Giver will appear again, and yes, Dagger/Danny/Subject 43 will remember _ EVERYTHING. _So don't worry. But that won't be until... eeehhh... a while, I guess._

 _ **Drift219 :** Glad you like it! And Dagger/Artemis... Hmm... _GRINS EVILLY _Wait and see. Wait and see._

 _ **socialgirl378 :** ... No comment. ;p_

 ** _Clockwork's Apprentice :_**

 _"..."_

 _"..."_

 _"..."_

 _... Did... Are you... following... my story?_

 _...Senpai noticed me..._

DIES FROM THE OVERLOAD OF AWESOMENESS

 _X-P_

COMES BACK TO LIFE!

 _Why thank you, Lazarus pit. Now, onto the chapter!_

* * *

 **Danny Phantom and Young Justice doesn't belong to me. Sad, though - I want another season of both.**

* * *

 **The Promises** **I Made** **To You**

* * *

Dagger was not amused.

First, Young Justice attacks Lex Luthor. Acting on his ingrained instincts, he valiantly came to the rescue, beating up the collection of teenaged heroes pretty fast.

Next, Luthor – He had long ago decided against calling the man 'master—' left the office for several hours with that damned cyborg, then came back and ordered him onto a plane.

So after that boring as hell private flight of siting absolutely still and doing nothing, Dagger found himself watching in the shadows as Luthor spoke to this 'Sensei' dude about a container of fog.

Honestly he was seriously considering walking away right now. Maybe then he could find entertainment in being chased down by Lex.

But alas, he couldn't leave. At least, not yet.

To be honest, he was seriously confused if he was ever going to leave Luthor. He wanted to, and yet… he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Which really sucked when you were bored out of your mind.

"Are you sure you can collect the proper amounts of information for us?" Luthor asked Sensei, who nodded hurriedly, a creepy grin on his face. "Of course," He said, taking a mock bow. "I live to serve."

Dagger frowned; say what now? Using his super hearing, he sank farther into the darkness of night and listened in.

"The Light will honor your services, Sensei," Luthor promised, and handed over a large canister that screamed danger. Sensei held the thermos-thing carefully, and after inspecting it, nodded his head and stroked it like a pet.

Dagger half expected the guy to hiss out, "My preciousss…"

He frowned, shaking his head. What the hell-?

"Dagger, come."

At Luthor's words, Dagger came into view, with Sensei stopping his obsessive stare and turning his attention to Dagger. "Hmm…" The man eyed him inquisitively, walking forward and studying him.

Dagger wanted to punch the man in the face.

"Ah… a child slave, Luthor?" He asked, looking up towards the billionaire. Luthor shook his head. "No, this is my bodyguard."

Sensei blinked, then his eyes shone with… something. It made Dagger want to turn around and cower.

"I see… and is he for sale?"

No sooner did the words leave the man's mouth did Dagger spin into action, allowing his hands to be enveloped in green energy, his eyes flashing a bright green. Sensei took a step back, and Luthor put his hand on Dagger's shoulder.

"No, he isn't for sale, Sensei. Dagger is mine," Lex responded calmly, and turning around, beckoned with his hand for Dagger to follow.

"We're leaving."

As Mercy stood at attention, and Lex entered his limo, Dagger sent a piercing glare towards the Scientist, then followed after the billionaire, his face pressed into a scowl and his eyes burning a bright, furious toxic green.

 _No one owns us,_ A voice in his mind hissed. _And when we finally get rid of him, no one ever will._

Sensei held the canister in his hands, smirking as the limo drove away. He could tell by the way 'Dagger' reacted to Luthor's words that he had a free will in those burning eyes.

As they say, the eyes are the mirror to the soul… and Dagger's eyes were that of an untamed beast, just waiting to be set free.

He chuckled as the limo vanished from sight. This was going to be very entertaining.

* * *

 **The Promises** **I Made** **To You**

* * *

"So what's the objective?"

The team was located in the mission room, waiting for their mission to be assigned. Now that they had a new teammate, and a girl no less, they were excited to see what she was able to do in the field.

And yet they were distracted by their own self assigned mission - Rescue Dagger from Lex Luthor and give him sanctuary from the hordes of organizations that experiment on and torture him.

But now they were forced to modify their plan... By a large quantity.

Kaldur sighed and rubbed his temples; totally not his day.

"You're mission is to retrieve Dr. Serling Roquette from the League of Shadows," Batman started.

Wally gaped at the Dark Knight. "You want us to WHAT?!"

At his outburst, many turned to look at him. The speedster didn't care for the sudden attention, however; he was more focused on their assigned suicide mission.

"The Shadows hate when people go against them! With us on their hit-list, it'll be super hard to get into their base again, let alone leave with our heads attached!" He raged.

Robin scoffed. "Says the guy who eats ten times his weight in carbs."

Artemis snickered at this, and Wally glared at the Boy Wonder and started to reply, but Batman intervened. "Enough! If you think you won't be able to handle this mission, Kid Flash, then you can quit this team."

Wally looked like he wanted to crawl inside a hole and die, but before he could actually go through with it, Batman continued his debrief.

"Roquette has been forced to continue her nanotech project; called FOG, this virus is capable of destroying anything in its path while simultaneously gathering every gigabyte of data from it."

Robin looked alarmed. "With this type of weapon, the Shadows can easily blackmail and destroy their opposition, leaving nothing behind but dust and memories," He realized.

Black Canary nodded. "This is why we called in Artemis. She is familiar with the Shadows, having fought them before. On this mission, you five will have to trust her advice and work as a team."

Everyone exchanged glances, not knowing where this was going.

"Artemis, is here on out, part of Young Justice. Since you five trust each other with your lives, I suggest you trust her with yours as well," Arrow said, giving them all kind yet stern looks. "Trust her judgment as well as your own."

Kaldur nodded. "Then where do we find Roquette?" He asked, changing the subject.

"That's where I come in," A voice called from behind them.

A familiar stood there, dressed in a new getup but his familiar smirk giving him away in the shadows.

"Roy!" Robin exclaimed, a wide grin on his face. Roy nodded, giving them a small wave. "Yo."

"Been a while, Roy," Kaldur remarked as their long-time friend drew closer.

"Yeah. Nice getup, Speedy," Wally chimed in, eyeing Roy's new costume with a grin.

Roy's eye twitched. "It's Red Arrow now," He said, and turned to face Artemis, a snort escaping him as he gave Green Arrow an 'I-am-so-not-amused' look.

"Already replacing me, Arrow?" He questioned Artemis glared at Roy, reaching for her bow.

"What, don't think I can use this?" Artemis taunted, fully prepared to fire. Roy shook his head. "I don't doubt your abilities; Oliver here can teach a moron how to shoot in a manner of days."

With calculating eyes, he added, "But the problem is finding out whether the protégé is a natural or an amateur."

Artemis bristled with rage and reached for an arrow, only for Green Arrow to stop her, giving Roy a pleading look. "Roy, you can come back, you know. Young Justice-"

"Is a team full of inexperienced kids who believes that everything will turn out okay for them because they're the heroes," Roy interjected, eyeing them all with a critical glare. "And you know that large groups just slow me down, Oliver."

Artemis looked ready to strangle Roy, so Superboy intervened. He stood in the middle of Artemis and Roy, glaring at 'Red Arrow.'

"If that's what you believe, I'm not against it," He said. "Before they found me, I was just a mindless clone. Then I joined up with them and was pretty pissed off about joining a team," Superboy confessed. "But after staying with them and getting to know them, they're my friends, too. And I know they have my back."

He eyed Roy with a gaze that made the teen want to take a step back.

"Who has yours?"

* * *

 **The Promises** **I Made** **To You**

* * *

Not.

Amused.

 _AT ALL._

Dagger felt like breaking something. Honestly! They get on a freaking plane to see this guy, get back to Lexcorp and discover, lo and behold, it was pointless.

Dagger was pissed.

 _We went on that plane for nothing?!_ The voice inside him raged. _I swear, one day…_

Dagger sighed as he entered his room and flopped down onto his bed, eyes focused on the ceiling.

Nothing to do, nothing to do, nothing to -

He bolted upright, a grin set on his face. Of course!

Phasing out of the room, Dagger sank through the floor, descending each floor invisibly until he reached his destination: The basement.

Grin still in place, Dagger phased through the last wall and nearly wept with joy. A room dedicated solely to training.

He switched into Ghost form, pleasure coursing through his spine and legs as he hovered above the ground.

Dagger set to work, programming the room to 'Level Six.'

As he waited for the hologram to kick in, some vague sense in his mind told him he'd been in this type of situation before.

Shrugging off the odd feeling of déjà vu, Dagger blasted each holographic droid coming his way.

 _This is fun,_ the voice in his head said with glee.

Dagger found himself agreeing with it. After all, it was just a voice.

What harm was there in agreeing with it?

* * *

 **The Promises** **I Made** **To You**

* * *

"Um… so, what do you like to do?"

They were in the bioship, headed towards the location Roy had placed Roquette in. They were all genuinely curious about their new teammate, and so the profession of small talk was engaged.

"Shoot arrows, obviously," Artemis answered coolly, holding her weapon for Wally to see.

"Have you always had a talent for archery?" Kaldur asked. Artemis nodded. "Yeah, I kind of had to learn how. Besides, what's the point of a gun when you're on stealth missions?"

Robin nodded. "Yeah. I hate when people bring unnecessarily loud devices to beat me up with."

Wally paused, giving Robin a 'Dude, really?' look. "Rob, seriously? You have exploding stuff in that belt of yours all the time!"

Robin blinked, then looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Yeah… I guess you're right…"

M'gann snickered at them, then saw Kaldur eye her with a critical gaze. She immediately realized what he was asking her to do, and inclined her head ever so slightly. M'gann's eyes flashed a bright green, and a mental link was established between the team, sans Artemis.

 _So are we going to tell her now? Or what?_ M'gann asked.

Robin looked like he was going to turn and glare at her, but didn't, instead replying with, _I think we should wait for the mission to be over. When we get back to Mount Justice, we can show her the files._

 _And we can achieve a true judge of her character all in one fell swoop,_ Kaldur surmised. Wally sighed, nodding his head and waiting for Artemis to ask Robin a question before replying.

 _I think she's a good person,_ Wally said. _I know we can trust her._

 _Because of her good looks?_ Superboy teased, earning a red face from Wally, causing them all to laugh at his expense. Seeing the conversation was over, M'gann canceled the link and laughed along with them.

 _I wouldn't give this up for the world,_ She thought as the bioship continued to fly along.

A frown settled on her face as he remembered that Dagger had probably never felt the kind of love she received from her friends. Her mind made up, she gripped the controls harder, determination settling in her eyes.

 _We will get you out of there, Dagger, and when we do, I'll make sure you find your family._

 _I promise._

* * *

 **The Promises** **I Made** **To You**

* * *

A man stood in a circular chamber, the sounds of off-key clicking clocks chiming all around him.

His face was concealed by a large purple cloak, hood pulled down to cover the majority of his head. In his hands laid a simple ornate staff, a swirling green orb placed at the crook.

His eyes were a deep crimson, and they were full of wisdom and pain, as if he held the entire world's responsibilities' in his hands.

In front of him was an image; the image of a boy laughing with two other children.

The first had shaggy black hair, his eyes a bright blue. He wore simple jeans and a coke-themed t-shirt.

To his left was another boy, appearing to have African heritage. He wore a pastel orange shirt with an orange hat, the frill covering the back of his head in an odd style the man was seeing more and more teenagers use.

The boy wore simple beige cargo pants, holding a mechanical contraption called a 'PDA,' but referred to him as 'Pandora, Precious,' and 'My Pretty.'

To the boy's right was a girl, wearing black-and purple themed clothes; a short top, black plaid skirt and leggings. Her dark raven hair was done up in a high pony tail, and her eyes were a natural violet shade that made her seem perfect for the gothic look.

The man watched the image as the three teenagers changed appearances.

The first boy's appearance shifted to reveal startling white hair and emerald eyes, dressed in a black hazmat suit with a simple 'DP' emblazoned on the chest.

The other boy's appearance changed to resemble that of a Pharaoh's, with a long goatee, toga and head wear, holding the signature crook and flail of ancient Egypt.

The girl's change was most prominent. Her hair undid itself, brushing against her shoulders. Her violet eyes changed to a solid shifting green, and her usual black clothing was replaced by a leaf-textured green mini-dress, thorn vines wrapped around her arms and legs and yet not piercing her pale skin.

The man sighed, and his once 30-ish appearance changed into that of a young child's, with buckteeth and freckles.

"The past has been changed, Phantom," He said with a sigh. "I hope you are pleased that he hasn't, and never will, rise."

Watching the image of the boy in the center, the boy's appearance changed once again to reveal crimson eyes and his shaggy white hair replaced by flickering flames. A large ornate ring adorned his ringer, and a green crown of fire and thorns adorned his head, an intimidating cloak of ectoplasmic blood waving behind him.

"But the timeline will always find a way, Daniel Fenton. It always has."

"Musing again?"

The man turned to see a young woman, her auburn hair flickering like flames in the dim light. Her attire was revealing, yet improvised for battle.

A simple corset was placed over her rather prominent chest, a crimson red color with fiery patters made out of black lace.

Her abdomen was covered by a thin layer of black lace, the sides exposed, however.

Skin tight, black short-shorts covered her rather robust 'gluteus maximus.' More lace covered the rest of her legs, and around her hips was a type of skirt. It was nothing more than a ribbon on her sides, but it dragged low in front of her front and backside, giving her a rather 'indian-like' style.

Her eyes were a surprising emerald green, bringing out her fire-like appearance even more.

Around her neck rested a simple charm; a small miniature dagger of sorts, but something about it radiated danger.

The man sighed, giving the girl an unamused glare that held anything but hostility.

"Why are you here, Adara?"

Newly named Adara rolled her eyes and continued walking towards him, stopping when she was but a foot away from him. "You're the freaking lord of time. Why the hell are you asking me that question, Clockwork?"

Clockwork sighed and turned away from the image, facing her and changing back into his 30-ish appearance.

"Because it is polite, and I had to in order to choose the correct path for the time stream," He replied coolly. "You know this."

Adara raised an eyebrow at him. "Suuure… Whateva you say, Tick-tock."

Clockwork's eye twitched at the nickname, but he gave no further comment.

Turning away from the odd girl, he focused his attention back onto the image, whose image changed to blur the girl and boy out of the image, leaving the boy all alone, his body littered with scars, blue eyes full of pain as green and red blood poured from his wounds, and he vanished from view, not reappearing.

"…I feel sorry for him," Adara said out of the blue. Clockwork raised an eyebrow, returning his attention back to her as he turned to look at the fiery girl.

She fingered her necklace, adding slowly, "Kingy knew what he was gonna have to do in order to prevent it from happening, but watching the little squirt in that place…" She shuddered; small curls of steam rising from her arms. "…that was no place to grow up, Clocky. Not even for him."

Clockwork once again ignored her nickname and nodded, a sigh escaping his lips. "Phantom knew what he was getting himself into, Adara. He chose this path to prevent it, all for the sake of his obsession."

Adara sighed, once again glancing towards the image, a sorrowful look in her emerald eyes.

"The thing about ghosts whose obsession is protecting people… They do everything they can to prevent the ones they care about from dying, and in return they meet the cruelest of fates."

A small, sad smile formed on her face, watching as a new image appeared.

The one with a young man with starch white hair, adorned in a familiar looking hazmat suit but with noticeable changes. A ring adorned his finger, crown and cloak long forgotten. A grin was on his face as on his shoulders laid a young boy, not older than several years, whose appearance was similar to the older's, except his skin had a blue tint with flickering green hair. A young girl held onto the man's hand, her white hair done into pigtails.

"…but sometimes, they can prevent such an end, and start a new beginning."

* * *

 **The Promises** **I Made** **To You**

* * *

 _Wow… this mental contact stuff is weird,_ Artemis sent with a shudder, trying to get used to speaking with her thoughts.

Wally nodded, standing close to her and watching Dr. Roquette type furiously on her computer. _Yeah, took me a bit to get used to it, but after a while it'll be like second nature,_ The speedster told her with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

Artemis shuddered again, shaking her head slowly. _Don't think I ever will,_ She replied dryly.

 _I still don't understand why you… um, humans don't enjoy the freedoms of a mental link,_ M'gann huffed as she hovered invisibly above the abandoned building Dr. Roquette, Wally,and Artemis were inside.

Robin sighed. _I keep forgetting you aren't human…_

Superboy raised an eyebrow from his position in an alleyway, surveying the ground and branching out his super hearing, just in case _. Really? Did you also somehow forget I'm a clone, Kaldur is from Atlantis, Wally has super-speed and you're the protégé of Batman?_

 _He has a point there,_ Kaldur mused from his place underneath the waves, close enough to the shore to jump out of the water and aid in a fight, yet far away enough to get a good view of the water to see if any Shadows were coming by boat.

Robin sent them all mental laughter, sounding odd to those not accustomed to the feeling of knowing someone was laughing, yet not hearing the sound. _Heh heh heh… my bad…_

 _…I don't know what's worse,_ Serling grumbled as she typed on her computer. _Listening to teenagers make small-talk, or worry that some Assassin is going to kill me._

 _No one is going to die tonight,_ Kaldur said immediately, wishing he was up there with the doctor to further reassure her. _I will make sure of it._

 _The scientist sighed and rubbed at her temples,_ giving Wally and Artemis a tired look. _I guess all this hurrying is making me lose my grip_ , She sent with a forced chuckle. _I'm sorry. I know you six are doing your best._

Wally shrugged. _With the imminent threat of a highly dangerous nanotech weapon in the hands of the Shadows? Yeah, I think everyone on the planet would understand._

Artemis bit her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud, waves of unsuppressed humor swelling through the mental link.

 _So this is what it's like to be part of a team…_ She thought, a smile forming on her face as her humor faded away, leaving a still amused twinge. _I love it already._

* * *

 **The Promises** **I Made** **To You**

* * *

Dagger flopped onto his bed, utterly exhausted. He had beat Level Six through fourteen; eight levels of pure hard work, stamina and reflexes.

Which was, as always, accompanied by the ever-present cuts, bruises and scars that added themselves to his collection.

To say he was exhausted was a bit extreme, though. The urge to conserve energy in case of an emergency still stuck with him, even though he was starting to 'defect.'

Dagger no longer cared, though. So what if he was defecting? He felt better than he ever had in years.

A frown formed on his face; maybe, just maybe, if he kept his 'defection' a secret from Luthor long enough, his memories would come back?

Determination swelled in him; worth a shot, honestly. He didn't have much to lose, after all; Just an extremely shitty half-life.

The image of Young Justice came to mind, the way they had tried to speak with him. M'gann, if he remembered right, had been the only one that escaped without a scratch. Something inside of him just couldn't bring himself to hurt her.

He groaned and dragged his hand over his face. He owed that telepath now, for 'freeing' him.

Dagger sighed and stood up, headed towards his stash of ectoplasm and pulled out a large piece, the average size of a granola bar, and started to eat.

As he munched on his tasteless treat, Dagger felt energy sweep through his veins, and without looking in the mirror, knew his eyes were glowing green, even in human form.

As he finished his 'meal' and settled back down onto his bed, his thoughts once again started to wander.

 _"Why do you obey them?"_

 _I don't,_ Came his answer. _Not… anymore. I am… no ones. I belong… to no one._

His eyes shone a toxic green, his hair changing color from black to white, his clothes wavering until they faded into a black suit.

 _I make my own decisions,_ He continued. _I am my own person. I won't stay here any longer._

A frown formed, his excitement ebbing away. _But where do I go?_

"Dagger," A voice called from outside the room. The boy stood to his feet and phased through the wall, finding himself face to face with Luthor and three others.

The first was what appeared to be a teenager, dressed in a skin tight maroon onesie that covered his arms, legs and face completely. In his hands was a simple gun, knives strapped to a belt hanging at the hips.

To his left was a woman, with frizzy black hair and an odd-looking cat mask. She was wearing an emerald kimono, cut short on the bottoms to reveal attractive legs. In a sheathe on her side was a simple kunai.

The last person in the room was another man, large and broad, unlike the other male. He was wearing a simple ski mask, his hair a golden blonde. A grey shirt adorned his chest, simple black cargo pants adding to his appearance. Weapons of every kind hung from him, and Dagger knew without a doubt that many more were concealed. White armor completed his look, and the half-ghost eyed the three of them suspiciously, eying Luthor with a hard, questioning gaze.

The billionaire quickly continued with his initial task. "Dagger, these are Cheshire, Black Spider and Sports Master. You will be joining them to complete your mission."

Each of the three standing there eyed him critically, Black Spider scoffing. "Come on, we're working with a kid?"

His disbelief was cut short when Dagger shot forward, pinning the man down and holding a flickering green ecto-blast close to his face. Black Spider was caught completely off guard, and Cheshire chuckled. "Don't underestimate your enemies," She told Black Spider as Dagger let the man go, eyes fading back into their familiar cold blue color. "Or your allies either."

Luthor eyed the exchange with an amused glint in his eyes. "Dagger, you will be working with the Shadows to terminate your target: Dr. Serling Roquette."

"The Leaguers have deployed a team of their own to stop us, so we'll have our hands full," Sports Master added. "A little birdy told me you took the whole team out pretty fast."

Dagger nodded slowly. So that was what this was about. Turning towards Luthor, he bowed and said, "I shall return victorious, master."

Luthor nodded. "Go."

As the four disappeared into the night, Cheshire smirked as she watched their ally fly alongside them. That boy clearly hated Luthor, and everything to do with the billionaire. Stupid genius didn't even recognize the glint in the boy's eyes that promised death.

Her smirk spread into an amused grin. Oh yes – quite entertaining indeed.

"Here's the plan," Sports Master said. "Draw the kids out of their hiding places. Dagger, you have the Martian. File says you can block your mind to telepaths."

The boy nodded. "Correct."

The broad man looked satisfied, and turned towards Black Spider. "Your job is to keep the team busy and keep Doc from finishing her anti-virus."

The lanky man nodded, and Dagger could see a smug look take over his features. "Right."

"Cheshire, you keep sweetie-pie busy," He continued. The woman smirked behind her mask, and Dagger blinked at the term 'sweetie-pie,' but made no comment. Instead, he shifted into his ghost form, forcing his white aura to disperse into nothingness, but a faint glow still remained.

Cheshire whistled softly at him. "Should'a named you lightbulb," She mused.

Ignoring her comment, Dagger turned himself invisible, surprising them. "May I proceed?" He asked Sports Master in a low monotone, not caring if the humans in front of him were creeped out by the voice in the air.

The man nodded. "Yes; go."

Without a word, Dagger flew towards his target, knowing that he hat to complete the mission.

 _"Why do you obey them?"_

He faltered, hovering in the air.

 _"What's the point?"_

He glanced towards at the unsuspecting M'gann, half of him screaming at him to obey his orders, the other whispering to him a single phrase that seemed to hit him in his very core.

 _ **"Go with them."**_

* * *

 **The Promises** **I Made** **To You**

* * *

Clockwork sighed as he looked away from the image, the pictures fading from sight. "It is done," He said to Adara. "From here on out, I can no longer intervene."

Adara nodded, giving the ghost a sad smile. "So… then it's my turn?"

He nodded, and Adara sighed, an image forming of a young eight year old girl with orange hair and cerulean eyes, beaming up into the shadowy forms of her parents. When her parents dispersed, the little girl aged. From eight to eighteen, her appearance changed dramatically.

Where her hair had once been long, reaching past her shoulder blades, this girl's hair had been cut short into a buzz cut and the right side was shaped into the form of a laughing maw. Her left eye was concealed by a large mop of orange hair.

Her chest was covered by a simple, small black corset accompanied by a mini-jacket. Leggings adorned the rest of her, and a small charm laid around her neck, words inscribed as, 'Danny.'

Adara smiled sadly at the image, turning her attention back to Clockwork. "So… I'm going to ship her to prison then?"

At Clockwork's nod, she let out an exasperated sigh, a dry chuckle following not long after.

"Boy is she gonna hate me for this…"

As the girl left the lair, Clockwork fixed his attention back onto a new image. The same black haired, blue eyed boy was laughing at another boy, dressed in a simple tee and jeans, his strawberry blonde hair covered in green goo. Another boy stood nearby, dressed casually in a hoodie and jeans with sunglasses to conceal his appearance. He gave the blonde a smug look.

Two other boys stood nearby; one with short black hair, a simple black t-shirt and jeans, the other with darker tinted skin, white buzz-cut hair and wearing a red skin tight shirt, accompanied by skin tight jeans.

A girl hovered above the ground, grinning as her hand was frozen in place, trying to tuck back a wisp of rebellious auburn hair. Her hazel eyes gleamed with mischief as a bucket of jell-o was held above the boy's head, the majority of the contents already on his head.

The last member was sitting next to the black haired, blue eyed boy, dressed in a simple green shirt and black leggings, a bow and arrow charm around her neck. She was holding hands with the boy, and her smile said it all.

Clockwork watched as the image faded, and no longer were any of them laughing. Instead, the previous five had their backs turned to a boy whose hair was starch white, eyes a brilliant emerald green. His back was to them, and shadowy forms of the dead reached their arms towards him, desperate to drag him down to the agony he had made for himself.

The girl from before had her back to the boy as well, but her head was turned to see him, hand extended, eyes pleading, arm reaching towards him.

And then the image changed once again. Gone was the girl, the shadowy forms and the other teenagers. Instead, the boy was clothed in malicious looking armor, a long black and green cloak flickering behind him. Above his head hovered a crown of flickering green flames and his eyes were crimson orbs. His white hair flickered like flames, and a ring adorned his finger.

Then the image changed to reveal the man once more, crown, cloak and armor discarded. The ring still adorned his finger, and upon his shoulders was a beaming little boy, his skin a blue-ish tint, short hair seemingly made of green flames. A little girl hung onto the man's hand, her white hair done into pigtails as she grinned up towards the man.

And then the children faded, revealing the man dressed in his crown, cloak and ring as he stormed the world of blue skies and breathing hearts, eradicating any sort of life in his way.

Clockwork sighed as he shifted into the form of an old man, long white beard and wrinkles the most prominent feature.

"Well now, young Daniel," He said to himself as more images formed, each spawned of different choices. "What will you choose?"

* * *

 **The Promises** **I Made** **To You**

* * *

 _Shorter than usual, but meh. I don't think you guys care at this point._

 _I NEED A BETA READER! COME ON, GUYS! I NEED A BETA!_

 _Whoever can guess what I'm planning for this story [Gods is it obvious] shall get a cookie. ;p_

 _Well, next chapter, all shall be revealed! Will Dagger go with Young Justice? What is Adara up to? What kinds of secrets is Clockwork hiding?_

 _Find out next month, when I post another ridiculously long chapter!_

 _[Updating schedule downgrading to once a month. Sorry, but hey! At least I'm not ditching this story]_

 _GIVE ME 2O REVIEWS AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE AN OMAKE[EXTRA]!_


	5. Omake -- Poems

_Told ya I'd make an Omake for you guys! This is a collection of small poems and tid-bits of random crap that will or will not be mentioned in this story._

 _I know. Sue me._

 _If you want to use one of my poems, PM/Review, and I will try to answer ASAP._

 _Words in **bold** are the titles I give the poem, and _ italicized _words are when people talk. Underlined are phrases in poems I've asked to use from other authors and added my own lines inside._

* * *

 **Danny Phantom and Young Justice doesn't belong to me, though most of these poems do!**

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

 **\- In the End**

From Black to White,

Sapphire to Emerald,

And Mortal to Spirit,

There will come a child

Who shall never belong,

As neither world will welcome him.

And yet he will fight,

Fight for his precious people,

And the worlds that despise him.

But there will come a time

When their savior will be destroyed

By the darkness,

Which will separate his souls

And turn Emerald to Ruby

As his precious people perish.

But one that is surrounded by the

Tick tock-tick tock,

Of clocks

Will see the child go from Black to White,

And from Sapphire to Emerald and permanently Ruby

Will say to himself and the

Tick tock-tick tock,

Of the many clocks,

 _"I shall change your fate, child of Black and White,_

 _And even though you may forget your precious people,_

 _As the Ones of White destroy the soul inside of you,_

 _Always remember_

 _That they will never forget you."_

So the one that is surrounded by the

Tick tock-tick tock,

Of hundreds of clocks,

Will change the fate

Of the child of Black and White

And Sapphire and Emerald,

Destroying the Ruby

And saving his precious people

At a cost;

The Ones of White shall destroy him,

And corrupt his core,

And he shall feel nothing,

Not even the smallest of sparks.

But there will come a time,

When the child of Black and White

Will leave the Light

And find for himself

That Freedom is costly

But protecting your precious people

And falling in love

Would all be worth it...

Even if

He never will

Remember it

In the end.

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

 **\- A Third World**

There are two worlds

One where the sky is blue

And the grass is green.

Where the ground is solid,

And there is color everywhere in-between.

In this world, everything breathes

And laughs

And cries.

This is the world where

Everything dies.

The second world

Has skies of green

Floating doors

And purple swirls everywhere in-between.

In this world,

There is no ground to walk upon

Since it had been destroyed long ago.

In this world,

Color is non-existent,

And in this world,

Everything is lonely

And seeking something

Or someone

To keep them company.

This is the world

Where the dead reside.

And if there was

A third world,

Only one would live there,

Without the second

That he had killed.

This child,

He belongs to neither world

As he is neither of the living

Nor of the dead.

This child

Is called a savior

Of both worlds,

And is the King of One

And Father in the Second.

And yet both worlds still reject him

Even if no one realizes it,

The silent boy

In the third world

Knows it

And accepts it

Even though

They will never

Accept him.

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

 **\- Beginning**

He takes a deep breath,

And steps inside

His hand on the wall

His heart pounding inside

He glances back and sees

His best friends to some degree,

Giving him smiles and a thumbs up,

And he turned back,

Determined that their smiles were for something

Instead of nothing.

And yet, he tripped,

And his hand hit the wall,

And blinding pain seared through him.

Glowing green mist seeps into his soul,

And he opens his eyes to find he is different.

No longer is the Ebony hair and Sapphire orbs,

But now there was Snow white hair,

And Emerald eyes.

He is scared now,

Scared of what he has become,

And his friends are no longer smiling,

And he sees this,

And decides to see their smiles again,

For one last time.

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

 **\- Change**

Can you tell me why

This life is a lie?

Because all I can see

Is my crimson eyes

That are seething.

Can you tell me why

This world is fake?

Because all I can see

Is what they can take.

Can you tell me why

I lost them way back when,

Because my un-beating heart aches

To see them again.

Can you show me how

I can end this pain

And the tear-less rain?

Because my soul aches

And threatens to break.

Can you show me how

I can end it today?

Because I am hurting

And begging for it to go away.

Can you show me how

I can get stronger?

Because I cannot bear

To see them die

Any longer.

Can you tell me why

You let this happen?

Because I don't know

What I have done,

But I am begging you -

Change what has happened,

And what will occur.

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

 **-** **Not alone.**

As his voice whispers in your ears,

Warns of cold and lonely years

That turn a wounded heart to stone

And hate that floods a world with tears.

Pain and sorrow, you have known,

Though roads ahead are still unknown.

Remember that this was once said -

"You are not alone."

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

 **\- So Far**

I was raised in a world of White

Where the only choice

Is to obey the Light.

I was obedient and proper,

But scared of any type of monster.

The Ones of White,

They hated my core.

 _"What did I do to deserve this?"_

I always wondered,

 _"Am I not doing well in the Trials?"_

 _"Or is there another place where I have failed?"_

Strapped to a cold table,

A man sharpens his scalpel

And the sanity leaves his eyes,

I tremble with fear,

Because this is where I could die.

I had a name,

But it was also a number.

 _"Subject Forty Three,"_

Was what they called me

And I had no other title

Other than

Monster,

Freak,

Demon,

And

In-human.

Soon, a master, I was given

And finished was the process

To remove my mind

From reality.

Obey, I did,

Every command.

No complaint uttered,

No hesitation in my stance.

Protecting, I did well,

Something I enjoyed.

It was the only thing that remained,

In my broken mind.

But then I saw them

They were there to harm my master

And protect I did,

Fighting the ones

Who wished no harm to me.

One of them,

A telepath of the strongest kind,

Reached inside my mind

And changed everything

In my life.

Gone was the urge to obey,

And the title of 'Master,'

For I was free,

In a matter of speaking.

And now I cannot reveal

What will happen next,

For it is a secret

Even though I am dying to resist.

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

 **\- Abuse** **by Devianta**

See me crying?

You did this.

See me falling?

I was pushed.

See me praying?

I'm hoping;

I'm hoping you won't knock again.

What if I'm not there;

Does it make a difference?

What if I disappear?

Would it help me?

Would it help any if I vanish?

Would you stop knocking?

Bash down the door,

Blame me for it.

Shatter all the windows;

Say I did it.

What if I walked away,

And say you made me?

What if I go away?

Would it help any?

What if I dove beneath,

And never came up?

Couldn't you make me

See I'm still needed

In this T๏гภ Δηd ƒяαуєd reality? 

I'd love to be loved,

And hope to be unhated,

I'd pray that tomorrow's Sun

Would be a little less gray.

I'd do all of this if only

The nightmare would end.

If only I...

Disappear into darkness.

You made me

Vanished into nighttime

And day never came

Cry a thousand tears;

I'll never wake.

You say good-bye;

I'll never speak.

What if I'm not here -

It made a difference.

What if I disappear -

It didn't help.

Would it help any if I vanish?

No it wouldn't.

Would you stop knocking,

If I could.

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

 **\- Fakery Tale**

It's a strangely cold night,

A night where even I can fly through the sky

That body of mine disappeared;

Well then, where shall I go?

* * *

 **Omake!**

* * *

 _Are the feels hitting you yet? Sure know I have a few._

 _Aaaanyways, comment and all that jazz! Know that an update will be soon! [Like, by next week soon. Pwomise.]_

 _I will add Omake's here and there, [Some will be poems, others will be simple oneshots, and maybe a few lemons?]_

 _IDK. ^^' So there you have it! Original poems from me! [But some don't even rhyme. SNIFF.]_

 _And if you have an idea of a poem I should write for the story, or have one of your own, send it to me via PM/Review and I'll credit you fully as I type the next chapter!_

 _BTW - Omake's will be RANDOM. I am still typing some up for the hell of it, and they're for the sole purpose of keeping you guys entertained while I type up the next chapter._

 _Again, these won't be suuuper common, just know that they might pop up here and there._


	6. Even if it Kills Me

_Hellooo~! I'm back, as is Danny/Dagger/Subject 43..._

 _Boy. I gotta do something about those names. Maybe an acronym...? Meh._

 _And yes it has been decided! Dagger/Artemis will soon sail! XD_

 _ **Guest of honor :** Um... please don't die. I have updated._

 _ **bruno14 :** Nooo. That wasn't clear whatsoever. XD And thanks for your support!_

 _ **socialgirl378 :** Um... I might be adding a bit of bashing between Wally and Artemis? Just a bit, tho. Don't want to stray too far from canon!_

 _ **randomphandom :** Fave review, right here. And battle? Hmm... wait and see~! And yes, my friends consider me the absolute QUEEN of foreshadowing in chapters that need to be a bit more epic. On a side note, I usually add foreshadowing in filler chapters, just to keep the readers interested, because as we all know, filler chapters can be BORING._

 _ **KidGenius :** Yes? I don't know; It's a good possibility, tho._

 _ **Guest :** I'm not gonna OP him. Those fics [No offense] are dead to me. If anything, I'm gonna make him weaker [WITH GOOD REASON!] and then stronger._

 _ **kitkatkate2008 :** AT WHAT POINT IN TIME DID CLOCKWORK LAUGH?!_

 _ **BaconLover1800 :** Sorry, but **Kid-Genius1** is mah Beta. Buuut, you guys can share...? Meh, IDK._

 _ **Penny Lu :** BWA HA HA HA! Trust me, you guys will be like, "Nuuu! Why would you do this to us?!" When I'm done. X)_

 _THERE IS AN ANIME EASTER EGG IN THIS CHAPTER! DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM FOR THOSE THAT HAVEN'T SEEN IT! [But you probably have, anyhow. And besides, just couldn't resist it~!]_

* * *

 **Danny Phantom and Young Justice doesn't belong to me. Sad, though - I want another season of both.**

* * *

 **Even if it Kills Me**

* * *

 ** _"Go with them."_**

Dagger hesitated, his form still invisible as his hands glowed a bright emerald green. Shaking his head, he prepared himself to throw the ecto-blast, but stopped when another voice sounded inside of him.

 _"ખђy đѳ yѳષ ѳв૯y Ƭђ૯ʍ?"_

 _"ωђล†'ร †ђэ ק๏เи†?"_

Dagger lowered his hands slowly, staring at the unsuspecting Martian in front of him.

He owed her; he was in her debt.

The ghost boy smiled sadly at her, then flew down, down, down, into the warehouse, where he knew Cheshire, Sports Master and Black Spider would be lurking.

He owed her, so he let her live.

* * *

 **Even if it Kills Me**

* * *

Inside the warehouse, Wally was standing close to Roquette, Artemis having her bow stocked and ready.

Robin was positioned in the rafters, and Superboy was lurking outside, keeping an early eye out for any suspicious activity. Kaldur was lurking in the harbor, and M'gann was hovering above the roof, bioship invisible and her eyes glowing green as she maintained the metal link.

 _So, the Shadows having this type of weapon - Nuisance bad or world domination bad?_ Wally asked as Roquette typed furiously on her computer.

Robin deadpanned at the speedster. _World domination bad._

Wally winced, already thinking of the possible things the Shadows could do. _Oh mah gawsh! They could know my bank account!_

The unanimous sound of facepalms reverberated in the quiet night.

 _Wally… Shut up,_ Superboy deadpanned.

Artemis nodded, giving a glare at the speedy teen. _Yes, please._

Wally frowned at her, but before he could send a retort, another voice changed the conversation.

 _Robin, I need to jump onto the internet in order to finish the anti-FOG, but it will betray our location,_ Roquette warned.

The teens readied themselves, slipping into their respective stances.

 _Don't worry; we'll protect you,_ Kaldur promised. Hesitantly, Roquette signed onto the internet and went back to coding and decoding furiously, knowing she didn't have very much time.

Almost instantly, a shot was fired. Seeing the white blob heading straight for Roquette, Wally quickly raced to her side, grabbed Roquette and her laptop, then went straight for the bioship and M'gann.

 _Get back here fast,_ Artemis grumbled as she fired arrow after arrow at the man, who was running on the ceiling. Seconds later, Wally was back next to her side, dodging Black Spider's attacks and landing a few of his own.

Superboy charged inside the warehouse, headed for Black Spider but was stopped when a huge chain mace made contact with his skin, forcing him to the ground. Superboy turned to see Sports Master, a cocky grin on his face as he brandished his weapon.

"You're mine, kid," The broad shouldered blonde sneered, and the two clashed.

Another form dropped from the ceiling; a woman dressed in a short green kimono, cat-like mask on her face, kunai in hand.

Artemis glared at the woman. "Cheshire," She spat.

Cheshire purred, throwing a kunai at Artemis, which was expertly dodged. Cheshire grinned and dove towards the girl, blades spinning. "Good to see you again, Artemis."

Robin joined Wally in taking down Black Spider, who merely laughed off their attacks like a mad man, grinning underneath his mask.

 _I wouldn't be surprised if he was the Joker,_ Robin exclaimed as he threw a birdarang at the villain, slicing a thin line in the man's shoulder.

In the back of the warehouse, remaining invisible as his hands glowed with dangerous green energy, Dagger watched the fights unfold with confusion.

He was ordered to aid Sports Master, Cheshire and Black Spider in terminating Young Justice, but he didn't want to.

 _"ખђy đѳ yѳષ ѳв૯y Ƭђ૯ʍ?"_

He didn't want to.

 _"ωђล†'ร †ђэ ק๏เи†?"_

There wasn't any.

Heedless of the invisible form above them, the battles continued. M'gann fought to maintain the telepathic connection, while Superboy found himself growing more and more irritated with Sports Master's weapon.

Having enough, he grabbed the mace out of the man's hands and snapped it in half effortlessly, glaring at the man, who huffed.

"That was my favorite mace," Sports Master sighed. Cracking his fingers, he reached behind him and pulled out a long broad sword.

"You're gonna pay for that."

Superboy readied himself in a fighting stance, and as Sports Master charged, Robin ducked and weaved, throwing birdarangs towards Black Spider, who dodged them expertly, shooting at Robin as well.

Artemis was fighting tooth and nail against Cheshire, who looked like she was playing with the newest protege.

Kaldur'ahm dashed through the warehouse door and launched himself at Black Spider, who was taken aback.

"Lightbulb!" He called out, jumping away from Robin and Kaldur rather quickly, "Help me with these two!"

Dagger didn't move from his place in the air of the warehouse, his eyes flashing from blue to green as his forms flickered, his mind trying to comprehend the whirl of thoughts inside his mind.

 _"ખђy đѳ yѳષ ѳв૯y Ƭђ૯ʍ?"_

 **He didn't have to.**

 _"ωђล†'ร †ђэ ק๏เи†?"_

 **There wasn't any.**

Black Spider tsked when 'Lightbulb' didn't appear and help. "Stupid brat," He growled. "Oi! Sportsy! Lightbulb's defected!"

Sports Master dodged a well aimed hit from Superboy and sighed. "Well, this complicates things," He drawled, and landed a punch onto the kryptonian, bringing down his weapon as well.

Cheshire was backing Artemis into a corner, leaving the girl nowhere to run.

 _"ખђy đѳ yѳષ ѳв૯y Ƭђ૯ʍ?"_

 ** _He didn't have to._**

 _"ωђล†'ร †ђэ ק๏เи†?"_

 ** _There wasn't any._**

The boy phased through the roof, disoriented and confused as more and more thoughts swirled in his once empty brain.

He was so out of it he didn't see the girl with green skin and hazel eyes notice him.

"D-dagger?"

Trying to focus, Dagger forced his spinning vision onto the form that had just spoken - It was M'gann.

He nodded his head, then bit back a curse when the world spun even harder.

They both stood there, each not knowing - or wanting - to harm the other.

 _"ખђy đѳ yѳષ ѳв૯y Ƭђ૯ʍ?"_

 _ **He didn't have to.**_

 _"ωђล†'ร †ђэ ק๏เи†?"_

 ** _There wasn't any._**

Dagger bit back a desperate scream. _Stop it,_ He cried. _Stop it stop it STOP IT!_

His vision was covered with swirls of green and blue, until a hand rested itself onto his shoulder.

"Listen to me!" It cried. "Your mental barriers are falling! I can put them back in place!"

 **"ખђy đѳ yѳષ ѳв૯y Ƭђ૯ʍ?"**

 _He didn't have to._

He hesitated, then allowed the… something to fall, and his vision went black as the voice delved into his mind, stopping the swirls of color and the voices and the pictures.

Moments later, all was left inside of him was a blissful silence, and he visibly relaxed.

Opening his eyes, he saw a winded M'gann, the bright green color in her eyes fading, replaced by their usual hazel.

"Thanks…" he finally got out. M'gann gave him a tired smile. "Well, we're friends, aren't we? And friends… do this… for each other…"

Her eyes closed, and she started to fall. Purely out of reflex, Dagger caught her before she hit the ground. As she lay in his arms, he stared down at her face and started to wonder what the hell he was supposed to do.

 **"ωђล†'ร †ђэ ק๏เи†?"**

 _There wasn't any._

* * *

 **Even if it Kills Me**

* * *

Superboy dodged several shots of Black Spider's webbing, but found himself rammed into a support beam via Sports Master. As the broad blonde punched Superboy in the face several times, Robin and Wally had teamed up, working together to finally bring Black Spider down.

Artemis and Kaldur were in the center of the warehouse, dodging kunai and ignoring the fight up in the rafters.

Pissed beyond measure, Superboy let out a loud roar and threw Sports Master at the unsuspecting Black Spider, who was through though the ceiling, leaving a very injured Sports Master a very surprised Wally and Robin for Superboy to deal with.

At Superboy's eyeball look of, _I'll tell you later,_ Robin and Wally joined Artemis and Kaldur in the fight below, ignoring the groaning form of Sports Master below them.

Knowing that her chances were few, Cheshire sheathed her kunai and jumped away from the five teens in a flurry of acrobatic cart wheels and back flips. "Guess I'll see you soon, Artemis," Cheshire said with a sly tone, heading over to the dazed form of Sports Master and added, "Next time we meet, I'll be sure to win."

In response, Artemis trained her bow on the assassin, arrow never leaving its mark. The woman placed Sports Master around her shoulder, backing away into the shadows. Robin threw a birdarang into the darkness, and it swiftly returned to him. Superboy let out a faint growl of annoyance. "Damn… they got away…"

Wally whistled mockingly. "Language, Superboy," He reprimanded sarcastically. Super shot the speedster a glare. Kaldur glanced up at the ceiling, primarily the position where Black Spider was chucked up through the roof, and opened his mouth to say something, but a scream, followed by an eerie green glow stopped him.

Immediately, the team shot towards the roof, knowing that M'gann was in terrible danger. But only the five of them had their suspicions on who and what caused that glowing green light: Dagger.

* * *

 **Even if it Kills Me**

* * *

Gently, Dagger set M'gann down, glancing around and sitting down next to her, watching her carefully. He had absolutely no idea what you were supposed to do when someone passed out, but he could tell her heart was beating strongly and regularly.

He had been surprised to sense that her heart was bigger than a normal person's, but given that she was an alien, he guessed it must be even stranger for her, isolated from all other martians except for Man Hunter, and living near a bunch of humans, not knowing a lot about Earth culture, and surrounded by humans that didn't know hardly anything about her own.

He sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. The same was for him, in a way. He knew barely anything on ghost culture - the way they lived, what was commonly said, and how to actually fight one.

Yes; he was taught how to fight. Those instincts were permanently ingrained into him, and yes, he fought Young Justice, _(The victor of that match was, in his opinion, still undecided,)_ destroyed countless people that wished harm to Lex Luthor, _(He should have just let the bastard die,)_ AND he fought against holographic droids on a day-to-day basis.

And yet he had never, ever, achieved the chance to interact and fight with an actual ghost. Honestly, he was starting to wonder how a full ghost would react to his existence. Would they ignore him? Hate him? Like him none the better for it? Try to kill him? Send him to their leader and -

… ... ... ...

Goodbye, train of thought.

 _"ખђy đѳ yѳષ ѳв૯y Ƭђ૯ʍ?"_

A sigh escaped his lips, and Dagger was half convinced he was going crazy.

Obeying a bald billionaire?

Wait on the bastards every word?

 _"ωђล†'ร †ђэ ק๏เи†?"_

There… wasn't any. He didn't owe the man anything, and yet he… blindly followed every order like a puppet.

And that was infuriating.

It _is_ infuriating.

And he **hated** it.

Suddenly, a sound broke through his musing. Startled, Dagger instinctively dropped into a fighting stance, only to find it was just M'gann, who was slowly coming to.

Mentally berating himself, he eyed her cautiously, not really knowing what to do. With a groan, she opened her eyes, startled to find herself looking into calm, icey blue ones.

"D-dagger!" She squeaked, forcing herself to sit up, "Don't startle me like that!"

Dagger blinked, then scooted back a few paces. "Sorry," He said softly. M'gann forced herself to sit upright, cursing the dizzy feeling in her head. "It's okay…"

They sat there in silence, each eyeing the other uncertainly. M'gann's head was still pretty fuzzy; the impact Dagger's mental scape had on her own was not fun.

"Why did you… help me?"

M'gann blinked, looking the boy in the eyes. "Because…" Oh man, what to say, what to say - Aha!

A smile formed on her lips as she continued. "Because we're friends, aren't we?"

He stared at her, wonder and confusion filling his once hard, emotionless eyes.

Dagger cocked his head at her, curiosity vibrating off of him in waves. "What is a 'friend?'"

M'gann stared at him in horror. Oh god… No way…

Fighting the urge to curse the bastardous humans that 'raised' Dagger in that hellhole, she fought down the bile and wracked her brain for any sort of answer to give him.

"A friend…"

Dagger perked up, curious to know what 'friend' meant.

"A friend is…" M'gann stopped and sighed, then resumed. "A friend is what we are. I do something to help you, and in turn you do something to help me."

Dagger frowned. "Then… you are my new Master?"

Horror and disgust filled M'gann's hazel eyes as she wildly shook her head. "No way! I'm not your master, and no one ever will be again!" She exclaimed, eyes burning in sheer determination that startled Dagger for a moment. "I promise."

He studied her for a moment, then a soft, unbidden smile found its way onto his face, turning up the corners of his mouth ever slightly.

"Thank you…"

M'gann scooted closer to him, sadness piercing her hazel eyes as he tensed, watching her warily. She pressed on, however, and wrapped her arms around him in a gentle hug.

Dagger froze, not knowing what to do. Was she trying to kill him? Strangle him to death? But he didn't need to breath as often as a human, and suffocation would be more effective if her arms were around his neck… so what…

Tears started to fall out of her hazel eyes, swelling with compassion and pity for the boy she was holding in her arms. "This… is a hug," She explained, sniffling slightly as she hugged him slightly tighter, not willing to let go. "It's what friends do."

Dagger paused, then slowly relaxed, the knowledge she wasn't going to hurt him resounding inside of him, and slowly, hesitantly, he brought his own arms up, awkwardly hugging her back, not knowing what else to do in this type of situation.

Figures. He's prepared for hundreds of types of questions and attacks, but physical contact? Nope.

Realizing that Dagger was uncomfortable, M'gann let him go, and as she took a step back, Dagger found a new part of him - a forgotten part - longing for another hug.

As he was debating whether or not to actually give into that desire, the ground merely inches from M'gann's feet exploded, sending a crimson clothed man onto the roof, groaning with pain.

Dagger leapt to his feet, hands glowing with bright green energy, but before he could get a well aimed shot, Black Spider aimed his gun at the ghost boy and fired.

Taken aback, Dagger found himself stuck to the ground. Struggling to break free, he went intangible and found, to his horror, he was unable to phase through it.

"That stuff is special~" Black Spider sang, pointing a separate gun at the shocked M'gann, who tried to stand to her feet but crumpled downwards weakly. Black Spider giggled insanely, clicking off the safety of the gun and aiming it at M'gann's head. Dagger's eyes widened, pupils shrinking.

"Since we can't kill the Docta, I can settle with you, hmm?"

Dagger stared in horror as the bullet was fired.

 _"I'm not gonna ask again - Where's the ghost boy?"_

 _"We're never gonna tell!"_

 _"DADDY!"_

 _"NOOOO!"_

M'gann brought her hands in front of her face in a desperate attempt to shield herself.

The bullet danced in the moonlight, and the man's smile grew ever wider.

The boy felt something tear inside of him.

 **ᏢᏒᎾᏆᎬᏟᏆ!**

Something he had to do.

 **ᏢᏒᎾᏆᎬᏟᏆ.**

Something that had to be done...

 **ᏢᏒᎾᏆᎬᏟᏆ...**

...even if it killed him.

 **...** **ᎽᎾuᏒ ᏢᏒᎬᏟᎥᎾus ᏢᎬᎾᏢᏞᎬ.**

* * *

 **Even if it Kills Me**

* * *

M'gann watched, dazed, as the bullet drew closer. It seemed time had slowed considerably for her. She could see the bullet's path. She could see the horrific beauty in it's rhythmic spinning, and the insane grin on the man's face.

She closed her _eyes,_ face set in a look of utter bliss. As the bullet neared its impact, she heard it sink into flesh. But no pain came to her.

M'gann opened her eyes to see, to her utter horror, that Dagger was standing in front of her, set in a protective stance.

Green and red blood seeped out of a new, fresh wound.

His body fell.

The man's smile faded.

M'gann screamed, and let her anger loose in a fury of bright green energy.

* * *

 **Even if it Kills Me**

* * *

Darkness. It coated him, surrounded him, suffocated him. He wanted out. He had to leave.

A bright green flooded his vision, and sounds started to return to him - same with the voices.

 _"But momma and daddy told me not to go in the basement,"_

 _"Why don't we just go down into the basement and look? We're not touching any'ting, so your parents won't get mad!"_

 _"Okay! But we have to follow Daddy and Mommy's rules and not touch anything."_

 _"Don't! Mommy and Daddy always told me not to touch anything in here!"_

 _A young girl walked inside a large, silver, hexagon-shaped contraption. Fear gripped him, and he moved forward and pulled her out of the invention. But he fell inside, and his hand hit something. Green light flooded his vision…_

 **And then all he could feel was pain.**

* * *

 **Even if it Kills Me**

* * *

To say Artemis was shocked was an understatement.

It was supposed to be a simple mission; rescue Dr. Roquette, bring her to a secure location and defend against assassins as she worked on the anti-virus for FOG.

But then they showed up, followed by that crazy maniac, and then… then she really didn't know what happened.

All she was absolutely certain of was:

1 - Her 'teammates' had their own agenda and clearly didn't trust her enough to know about Dagger.

2 - Wait WHAT about this kid

3 - And how the hell did Black Spider suddenly… blow up?

When they had arrived on the roof seconds after the big green showcase, all they were there to see was a shocked M'gann, bleeding Dagger and dead Black Spider.

Oh, and did she forget to mention that Dagger had insanely fast healing abilities?

It's true. You'd figure that after taking a bullet to the stomach, the kid would bleed like a normal person. Nope. This kid bled green blood. Green blood! Well, green and _red_ blood, but still.

And to make things even more interesting, the kid had been asleep for the past week and _still_ hasn't woken up from his coma.

It was really starting to annoy Artemis, who was itching to get answers from this kid.

Frowning slightly, she contemplated asking M'gann, but decided against it in the end, knowing the young Martian girl was still out of it from… whatever happened up there.

So several monologues later, Artemis was storming down the hallway and towards the infirmary, where she knew Dagger was staying.

Without any hesitation, she burst through the door and faltered as she saw herself looking into cold, calculating blue eyes.

Surprised to see he was awake, Artemis forced herself to remember her plan and quickly closed the door behind her, then turned back to see Dagger, eyeing the IV distastefully.

"Don't pull it out," She found herself saying. "It will hurt."

Dagger looked up at her, surprised, then tugged out the IV, not even wincing as a small trickle of that multi-colored blood seeped out of the wound. "I've felt worse."

Seeing the boy in a new light, Artemis grabbed a chair and dragged it close to the bed, missing Dagger's flinch as the chair skidded along the time ground.

Situating herself, Artemis drew in a deep, reassuring breath, then fixed her brown eyes onto Dagger's blue ones, opened her mouth and asked,

"What happened up there? On the roof?"

Dagger hesitated, his small form growing tense before he forced himself to relax, sighed, and answered her question.

"I… killed Black Spider," He whispered. Artemis blinked. Say what now?

"But you were shot in the stomach," She pointed out.

Dagger frowned. Oh. So that's what happened.

Nodding his head, Dagger decided to continue. "Yes… but M'gann is my…"

 _"Then… you are my new Master?"_

 _"No way! I'm not your master, and no one ever will be again!"_

 _"What is a 'friend?'"_

 _"A friend is what we are. I do something to help you, and in turn you do something to help me."_

"...my friend. And… friends do things for friends..."

Artemis stared at him. The way his eyes shone, the way his tone was voiced… his answer sounded more like a question than anything.

She looked at his eyes, shivering at the cold and alien feel it seemed to hold, as if there was something inside him, waiting to get out and -

"My name is Dagger."

She blinked, pulled out of her musing. "Huh?"

Dagger pointed a small thumb towards himself. "My name is Dagger."

It took her a few seconds to figure out what he was doing.

"Oh. Mine's Artemis."

Dagger nodded slowly, his blue eyes looking thoughtful before they fixed themselves onto her again, that alien glint gone as if it had never been there.

Silence permeated the room, each unsure of what to do. After a moment, Dagger sighed and gave her a weak smile. "So… Artemis…"

The blonde perked up. "Hm?"

He gave her a small, sheepish smile. "Is there… any way I can get out of here?"

Artemis nodded, standing to her feet. "Sure. I'll help you-"

She was cut off when Dagger's appearance shifted. His black hair turned a brilliant shade of white, and his hospital gown turned into a black - and very dirty - hazmat suit. His gloves were still covered in dried blood, and his green eyes seemed to burn right through her.

"I can just phase out of it," He told her softly, and to prove his point, went slightly see-through and walked out of the bed, stretching his arms and legs with a serious expression.

Artemis stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. This kid was an enigma.

"Artemis?"

Pulled out of her thoughts yet again, the young protege turned to face the cause of the disturbance and saw a stoic Dagger, standing by the door. "Can you show me around?"

Artemis nodded slowly, mentally berating herself for not doing that sooner. Hesitantly, she opened the door and led him out into the hallway, letting out an "Eep!" As he swiftly picked her up bridal-style and shot down the hallway, legs blurring into a slender, ghost-like tail behind him.

In a manner of minutes, Artemis found herself placed gently on the ground of the Debrief room, Dagger hovering close by next to her and eyeing their audience warily.

The entire team was there, as well as Black Canary, who looked like she had just finished giving them a demonstration.

"Dagger!"

Artemis blinked in surprise as M'gann threw herself into Dagger's arms, hugging him tightly. The boy went tense, his body looking like it wanted to shift into a defensive stance, but after a few seconds, relaxed and gave M'gann a few gentle pats on the back. "M'gann…"

The Martian let go, her hazel eyes gleaming brightly as the mental link was established. Dagger immediately tensed, eyeing her warily but blinked in surprise as her words went right into his mind.

 _How dare you sleep for that long! I thought you were dead! I was so scared, I thought you were never going to wake up-_

 _M'gann, cut it out. You're gonna scare him off,_ Robin teased. M'gann's torrent of words ceased as her cheeks burned.

Wally chuckled at this, and Superboy donned a smug expression as M'gann tried again. _Just… please… don't get shot again,_ She mumbled.

Dagger blinked. Was that an order? Looking at their conflicted, yet serious faces, Dagger deduced that it was indeed an order, and with a small dip of his head, said, "I won't ma- M'gann."

Kaldur frowned, noticing Dagger's slip, but before he could ask what had almost been said, Wally intervened.

 _So what do you think of the HQ? Pretty cool, right?_ He said, placing an arm around the boy.

Dagger went tense and his form became see-through, and an unprepared Wally nearly fell on his face. "Woah!"

The half-ghost eyed the entire team cautiously, his instincts wanting him to adopt a fighting stance and keep them from… from putting their hands on him.

It was a feeling that seemed to linger on his skin, and it was an alien feeling. He didn't like it, and yet he did at the same time. It was strange.

Black Canary eyed him in a new light. "You're able to density shift?"

Dagger blinked, and his form became solid again and gave the woman a confused look. "Yes… I am told it is called intangibility."

Robin nodded. "I guess that makes sense…"

Seeing that the link was no longer needed, M'gann dissolved the mental connection.

"Your name is Dagger, correct?"

The ghost boy turned to see Red Tornado walking towards him, his mechanical eyes studying every inch of the boy. "Your blood pressure, body temperature and heart beat is all below normal. How are you still conscious?"

Artemis went pale, her head whipping around to look into Dagger's calm emerald eyes.

Dagger nodded his head. "Correct. But that is… normal for me," He confessed.

Batman eyed the boy critically, and Dagger's appearance shifted again, his white hair turning black, green eyes returning to their cold, calculating blue. "Their…" He paused for a moment. Should he tell them? That he was a half ghost?

 _"Care Giver? What am I?"_

 _"You are a ghost, Forty Three - A creature without emotion or feelings. Your kind mercilessly destroys everything in their path, killing anyone in their way."_

 _"But- But I don't do that!"_

 _"That's because you're only a half ghost, kiddo."_

 _"Oh…"_

"I… don't entirely know what they did to me there..." He continued slowly, creating a mental barricade in his mind to keep M'gann out, because she didn't need to know, no one needed to know, he wanted to enjoy as much of his new life as he could -

"...but I do know that they injected… Martian blood into me."

M'gann's face went pale, and her usually cheerful form shook. "W-what?"

Dagger felt a pang of guilt, looking into her horrified face.

 _Tell them the truth,_ the voice urged. He shook his head. No. He wouldn't. He didn't want to lose his only friends.

"They had... A Martian there," He continued, thinking back and scouring his fuzzy memory for any type of half-truth he could give them. "I… was… five, I think?"

Shaking his head, he forced himself to continue, knowing that he had to keep going, no matter what. He dug himself this hole, and he had to keep digging it. There was no going back. Not now, or ever.

"They… experimented on… her. After a while… they took me into that room and…"

He paused, then took off his hospital gown, pulling it down to expose the huge, Y shaped scar on his chest. They all looked like they were going to be sick, and Dagger quickly concealed it again.

"They… drained her of all her blood," He continued in a small voice. "She was strapped to that table… and her blood went into me. She died, and I didn't even… Didn't even…"

A long, drawn out shudder went through him, hitting his core and seemingly vibrating it. "I didn't even know her name."

Dagger looked up into the tear streaked face of M'gann and gave her a sorrowful smile. "I'm… sorry, ma- M'gann."

The girl continued sobbing, and crumpled to her knees, tears continuing to flow freely.

Dagger didn't know what to do; what do people do in situations like this, how is he supposed to react, what does he do -

 _"Because we're friends, aren't we?"_

The ghost boy knelt down and wrapped his arms around her, eyes closed as the foreign feeling returned to him.

M'gann didn't stop crying, but the tremors in her thin form did.

 _I won't let these people perish,_ Dagger decided, determination starting to form in his cold blue eyes. _I won't lose my precious people._

 _Even if it kills me._

* * *

 **Even if it Kills Me**

* * *

A smile formed on the man's face as the image faded. He sighed and closed his crimson eyes, the dim green light of the lair reflecting on his light blue skin.

"So, young Daniel… you have chosen the most loneliest path of all."

Images swirled around him; one with a boy glowing a sickly green, eyes gleaming a crimson red as he ran from his friends.

A boy with black hair and blue eyes hugging a girl with buzz cut orange hair, tears falling down their faces.

A boy with green eyes and white hair, his hands glowing green as he stared in defiance of a large, hulking creature wearing a ring and crown, sneering down at the young boy.

The same boy storming through a large building, killing everyone in sight.

The same boy facing his friends as he told them the truth.

The same boy leaving the living, a three year old in hand.

The same boy returning, only to find that he should have never left.

"Daniel Fenton… Subject Forty Three… Dagger… Phantom…" Clockwork shook his head, sorrow gleaming in his crimson eyes.

"Your determination to save your friends…" He paused, a sigh escaping his lips as he looked at the last image.

"I hope it won't consume you, in the end."

 _A boy with white hair and green eyes smiled up at them as he melted in his sister's arms._

* * *

 **Even if it Kills Me**

* * *

Lex Luthor slammed his fist onto his desk.

"Look Lex, it's not our fault. Those scientists must have messed something up in the kids skull," Cheshire purred from her place in the shadows.

Sports Master rubbed his shoulder with a small wince. "Stupid brats…"

Luthor sighed, his hand running down his face in frustration. "The plan is… merely postponed for now," He decided, standing up from his chair and moving towards the wall. "Even if Dagger never returns to the Light, it will come to us eventually."

The wall rolled up, and a large, cylindrical tube could be seen, green liquid surrounding the small, yet unmistakable form of a young three year old girl, her hair glistening a pure white as she floated in the mass of goo.

"After all, we have his sister."

* * *

 **Even if it Kills Me**

* * *

 _You guessed it - Naruto! X) [Which I do not own and need to finish. Badly.]_

 _Oh well. I'll get there one day._

 _Thanks to mah beta,_ _ **Kid-Genius1,** for fixing up this chapter! I owe you, friend! _


	7. Omake -- Only Clockwork Knows

_My latest Omake! That you should really read. Seriously. READ THIS._

* * *

 **Danny Phantom and Young Justice doesn't belong to me. Sad, though - I want another season of both.**

* * *

 **~ Omake! ~**

* * *

 **Only Clockwork Knows**

* * *

Jazz was scared. Well, more alone, confused, wondering and hiding, but scared definitely made the mental list. Oh, and speaking of hiding, Jazz was in the basement, not daring to travel upstairs and see them… Her parents. Well, what was left of them, anyhow.

The little eight year old didn't understand how a life so perfect, so happy could dissolve with a simple gunshot. Faintly, Jazz remembered reading that isolation from people after a very traumatic experience was one of the worst things a person could do, but she didn't care. They took Danny. Her little, gullible, adorable and half-dead brother was taken from her and she could do nothing to help him. She didn't even know where he was.

All in all, this had to be one of the worst days of her life.

Any minute now, she was certain that someone, be it the Masons or the Foleys, would come through that front door and scream at the dead bodies, call the police, find her down here -

But no one did. Everything was as it still was - Silent.

She didn't know how long she was in the basement, huddled behind crates and cardboard, clutching Bearbert and the anti-creep stick like a lifeline. She couldn't even remember the last time she closed her eyes or even moved for that matter. She was alone and scared of the silence that seemed to eat away at her very soul.

And then something broke the silence. A familiar shape, skin tinted blue and dressed in overalls, cap on his head and yet not concealing his black hair.

"I am the Box Ghost! Ruler of all things cardboard!" It cried, revealing rather large buck teeth. "Bewaaaare~!"

Jazz stifled a cry and forced herself to move. "Boxy…"

The Box Ghost, or Boxy as it was commonly referred to, blinked in surprise as he saw Jazz leaning against the cardboard boxes and crates. A grin spread across his face as h floated over to her. "Jazz! Have you stayed by my offering to bask in my awesomeness?"

His face fell as she started to sniffle. "No… I mean yes…" Tears started to fall, and Box Ghost was taken aback. What made this living girl cry? Not knowing quite what to do, Box awkwardly patted her on the head, wincing as her headband came undone. Quickly, he fashioned a new one out of cardboard and held it aloft for her, his eyes twinkling in the unsaid sense of "Tada!"

Jazz gave the ghost a small smile and pushed the headband in place, then tried to get up, but her legs crumpled beneath her and she landed on her hands with a deadpanned "Ow."

Seeing that Jazz needed help, Box eyed the cardboard around her with glee and made a sled-like thing. Trying to be careful but not exactly getting it right, Box Ghost dumped Jazz onto the sled thing, created a rope made out of cardboard and after glancing around the room, shuddered at the sight of the Fenton Thermos'. Glancing down at Jazz, then at the portal, Box sighed and grabbed one, knowing it'd probably come in handy.

Also knowing he was putting Jazz in danger, Box also knew that her entire aura screamed she didn't want to be alone. Still confused as to why his favorite humans and halfa weren't in sight, Box used his abilities to float the rest of the boxes and crates into the portal, gripped the make-shift rope tightly, then followed suit, Jazz in tow.

The eight year old was taken aback by the Ghost Zone. Chunks of rock floated aimlessly, and the sky was an infinite swirl of black and green. Tinges of purple flowed here and there, and doors hung in the air on invisible strings, their many colors and sizes surprising her.

"Welcome to the Ghost Zone!" Box proudly said, gesturing around him with a wide grin. "The home of all homes!"

Glancing back at Jazz, his grin softened to one of sympathy. Wanting to perk the little girl up, Box tried to start a conversation as they moved along in the Zone.

"So Jazz, what do you think of the Zone?"

Jazz bit her lip, a small smile making its way onto her face and she wiped her eyes. "I- I think it's pretty cool," She said, looking around. As Box passed a small rock by, Jazz reached out and grabbed it, shivering at the odd tingle that shot down her spine.

"Where's the ground?" She suddenly asked, inspecting the rock curiously. Box sighed and continued to move along. "You're holding it," He said simply. Jazz blinked, seeing the rock in a new light. "What happened?"

Box sighed. "From what The Box Ghost has been told, the great beings - The First of the Dead - created the Zone for those they knew would follow them. The Zone back then was a pretty great place. But war broke out, and a powerful being called Pariah Dark -"

Jazz nearly dropped the rock, which vibrated at the name.

"-tried to gain control over the Zone. So the First of the Dead combined their powers and created the Sarcophagus of Eternal Sleep, trapping Pariah inside for all eternity."

Jazz frowned, glancing down at the innocent looking rock in her hands.

"So what happened to the ground?" She asked again. "How did it-" She gestured towards the floating rocks around them. "-explode?"

Box shrugged, nearly dropping the cardboard rope. "Dunno. Some ghosts say it was because the First of the Dead combined their power, it shattered the Zone. Others say Dark did it before the First of the Dead sealed him away."

A sudden thought came onto Jazz. "And where is this… Dark guy?"

Box shuddered, the foreign feeling overwhelming him for a moment. Then a dark look crossed over his face, so out of character Jazz thought she imagined it.

"Only Clockwork knows."

* * *

 **~ Omake! ~**

* * *

 **Only Clockwork Knows**

* * *

 _Continued next time! Thought you guys would enjoy a small tid bit before I post the next chapter._

Clarification _: I know that in the show, most Ghosts don't think Clockwork is real, but all will be explained... in the next Omake!_

 _Yes, Jazz is coming up! Not right away, but soon!_

 _[Speaking of which, I have more poems up mah sleeve. Thinking about making a separate story for 'em all. (Damn do I have a lot)]_


	8. He Welcomes the Silence

_Wow. 95 reviews? Already? Happiness~!_

 _ **kitkatkate2008 :** Yeah, I know. But the whole 'I am half Martian' thing is part of an ARC I have planned. So yeah, I get what you're saying, but it had to happen. Sorry._

 _ **Darke13 :** Yay! I think I make my plot interesting AND fun. Also scrambled, because why not? And yeah, I have at least SIX covers made from random fan art people on this site; Suicide Forest, Nalu Dragneel... they helped me come up with the plot. [_ Correction : _They practically demanded that I make this story. So yeah...]_

 _ **NinjaKiller1991 :** Yes. Yes it is; but be forewarned, the shipping won't take place until MUCH later. Sorry to disappoint, but I have to build this guy's character!_

 _ **beazlerat :** You... are sooo going to curse me when this story reaches its climax. No, really. You're so gonna hate me..._

 _Aaaanyways; now that THAT is over, did someone curse my existence because I 'spoiled' the story for them in chapter five? Pfft. Don't do that. That is false. That's just... no. Just no._

 _Look dude, I'M the author here, and if you're not reading this story anymore because I 'spoiled' it for you, dig yourself out of that hole and rejoice! Because I don't spoil stuff. Weeell, maybe sometimes... But that's only to **Drift219,** so he doesn't count..._

 _Where was I going with this again? Ah; right. Just keep reading the story, ya goomba. There's PLENTY more surprises coming up. Which I promise not to spoil._

 _[Drifty-san, say ANYTHING in the review box concerning spoilers, and I shall end you~!]_

 _Alright! So this chapter is a filler! NO WAIT! DON'T LEAVE YET! You still here? PHEW. Good. So yeah, a filler! [Yay...] But this is a filler that must be read, otherwise you won't have ANY idea what's gonna happen next!_

 _[In all actuality, this chapter is more of a collection of combined Oneshots that sort of... turned into a chapter? Yeah yeah yeah, sue me...]_

 _Read? Next? Hmm. Do those rhyme? [Read pronounced as 'Red.' So DO they rhyme?!]_

 _Okay, going off on a rant now. I'm just gonna... yep... CUE THE DISCLAIMER!_

* * *

 **Danny Phantom and Young Justice doesn't belong to me. Sad, though - I want another season of both.**

* * *

 **He Welcomes the Silence**

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She sounded unsure.

He nodded. "Yes. If there's going to be anyway of me finding out who I was before… _them_ , I need to remember. Please."

She still seemed uncertain, but nodded. "Alright. Just relax then. Who knows how long this will take."

"Hey M'gann?"

"Yeah?"

"Will this… hurt?"

"I'll try my best to make sure it won't."

"Okay…."

"Ready?"

"Not really… But do it."

Eyes flashed a bright green. Hands pressed themselves onto the sides of his head.

Darkness swallowed them whole.

* * *

 **He Welcomes the Silence**

* * *

 _He was standing in front of a young girl, with long orange hair. Blood caked her clothes, and her hair was falling in front of her face, headband nothing but threads._

 _Something made him move towards her, and he found himself hugging her, tears falling down her face._

 _She opened her mouth and said something, but he didn't hear it. The world went silent, and then he broke away from her, the sound returning._

 _"I'm gonna get you out of here,"_ **The world went silent again.** _"-and den I'm gonna make sure they won't hurt us again!"_

 _Suddenly the world changed._

 _He was flying, holding the girl in his hand, flying towards a bright light - And pain._

 _Oh, the **pain** -_

 _He fell._

 _Down,_

 _Down,_

 _Down…_

 _And the girl was gone. He was on a metal table. Faceless men in white suits held up their scalpels, and their words floated around him, hitting him in the core._

"Monster!"

"Freak!"

"You don't deserve to exist!"

"No one loves you!"

"Die already!"

"The Light made a mistake creating you!"

"Worthless!"

"Ugly!"

"Useless!"

"You are a Ghost, a creature without emotion or feelings. Your kind mercilessly destroy everything in their path, killing anyone in their way."

"But I don't do stuff like that!"

"You will, kiddo… one day."

"The future is not set in stone, nor the past, child. Your choices will affect both ways, all people, dead and alive. You are the child of Black and White."

 _He fell into a swirling green portal, darkness enveloping him. He closed his eyes, knowing this was the end -_

 _And then hands reached down, grabbing him and pulling him out. He was facing them; his friends, all grinning down at him. M'gann enveloped him in a hug, smiling as she looked up at him._

 _"Why did you save me?" He found himself asking her. "I'm a ghost… a worthless, emotionless creature that kills everything…"_

 _Wally shook his head in disbelief. "Now why would we believe that?"_

 _Kaldur nodded. "The seven of us are comrades; friends."_

 _"And we're a team. We stick together," Superboy added, scowl gone and replaced by a knowing smirk._

 _And then they started to change; blood dripping from wounds that gleamed a bright green. Wounds he had inflicted._

 _They were underneath him now, pulling him into the blackness, down, down, down, into the swirling green that was starting to suffocate him._

 ** _"Because we're friends, aren't we?"_**

 _Their hideous voices laughed as they turned into corpses, and the darkness consumed him._

* * *

 **He Welcomes the Silence**

* * *

It had been a week since he left Luthor and joined Young Justice. An entire week since Black Spider had… had…

 _Don't think about it don't think about it **don't think about it -**_

The boy opened his eyes, lifted his hand and flexed it above his head, gazing at his pale palm.

With a small scowl, his appearance shifted. His black hair became white, and his blue eyes turned emerald. His simple sleeping clothes became his faithful hazmat suit, and he sighed in relief as the familiar sense of power filtered into his system.

Sitting up, he glanced at the cheap alarm clock Wally had quickly donated to him, sheepishly saying he would get him a better one later.

6:30.

He was late.

 _Shit shit shit **shit!**_

Quickly, he jumped out of bed and started his daily routine; push ups, sit ups, changing from human to ghost form as fast as he possibly could; trying to use his ghost powers in human form and going intangible, avoiding his overshadowing skill because he hated it -

And then is was 8:00.

He was on time.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down, and the familiar cool feeling of his Ice Core faltered, then expanded.

The room instantly grew colder, and his breath could be seen in the air.

Frost found its way onto the bed, working its way up the walls.

Snow started to fall, and Dagger smiled. This was exactly what he loved - Winter time. Best season of the year, in his opinion.

Sadly, the time passed quickly, and the ice started to retreat as heat found its way back into the room.

After he was certain that touching him wouldn't cause anyone to get instant frostbite, he left his room, frowning at the unwelcome heat. Even though it was room temperature, he only started to get cold at… hmm. He didn't exactly know.

Closing the door behind him, Dagger changed forms, his white hair becoming black, emerald eyes shifting back to their cold sapphire.

He walked down the hallway at a brisk pace, still uncertain of the rules they had here. Dagger hadn't been late to breakfast before, and he wasn't planning on it. Being late with Luthor always ensured a severe beating.

As he neared the kitchen, Dagger blinked in surprise as he saw M'gann busily grabbing ingredients left and right, placing random instruments on the counter -

He tensed as he saw a knife in her hand. His blue eyes flashed emerald as he waited for her to move, to attack him -

And was relieved to watch her place it on the counter. She looked up to see him and was startled, but waved it off, giving him a friendly smile.

"Hey Dagger, want to help me bake cookies?"

Dagger blinked. What the hell was a 'cookie?'

Still unsure, but remembering that she wasn't going to hurt him, Dagger warily walked over to her, watching as she placed the last ingredients on the island and stood back, grinning in satisfaction as she held up some cloth… thing…

And tossed it at his face.

Instantly, he shifted forms and threw an ecto-blast at it, still in a battle stance as he watched it melt into green goo.

M'gann stared at him, then looked at his hand and back to the goo, blinking owlishly.

"Um… that was just an apron…"

Seeing that he didn't understand, M'gann fought the urge to facepalm and instead grabbed another cloth thing.

Dagger immediately tensed, watching her every move and blinked in surprise as she wrapped the thing around her.

"See? It's an apron," She explained, slowly tying the strings behind her. "It keeps the flour and baking stuff off your clothes."

Dagger blinked, then looked down at the poor apron he had turned to goo. Realized he had made a mistake, he quickly changed back into his human form, reaching for the goo, saying, "Sorry, I'll clean it up-"

"No way!" A pot was thrown in the way of his hand, and Dagger was caught off guard. Scowling, he stood up, wanting to glare at her but not having the heart to.

"If your energy blasts can reduce an apron to goo, who knows what it'll do to your skin?" M'gann fretted, keeping the pot suspended in the air via telekinesis, and danced around the room, grabbing large gloves, a weird looking mask and a… broom?

Carefully, using her telekinesis, M'gann moved the goo into the trashcan, then quickly grabbed the bag and deposited it into the dumpster several blocks away from the mountain.

The entire thing took less than ten minutes, all the while Dagger was standing in the exact same spot in the kitchen, blinking like an idiot at M'gann's antics.

 _Should I tell her that I can control the acidity of my ecto-blasts even if I've already thrown them?_

Seeing the rather disheveled but accomplished look on her face, Dagger decided not to. No point, anyways.

"Now that that's taken care of," M'gann said and brought her hands together to brush off invisible dust, "Let's make some cookies!"

Dagger watched as she grabbed a thing from a cabinet, wincing as she turned it on and the blades spun. Glancing back behind towards him, M'gann gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you just have to keep your hand away from the rotors. See?" And then she turned the machine off, demonstrating where to put your hand and how to move it in the bowl.

Dagger watched as she placed item after item in the bowl, mixing vanilla, salt, baking soda and sugar together with a small spoon. "Can you hand me the eggs?" She asked him as she pre-heated the oven ahead of time.

Dagger glanced around the island, a moment of panic overtaking him. What the hell were eggs?!

Feverently trying to find an 'egg,' Dagger came across a medium sized cardboard container. Opening it, he found himself looking down at twelve white oval shaped things.

 _Please be eggs please be eggs -_

Handing the carton to M'gann, she gave him a grateful look. "Thanks!" She beamed, and promptly cracked two and placed them in the bowl, throwing the white stuff away.

Dagger eyed the white stuff curiously, looking back up at M'gann and asked, "Why aren't you using this…?"

M'gann blinked and stopped the mixer, turning it off with a click. She held the shell up and handed it to Dagger, who blinked down at it.

"The shell just keeps the egg inside; it protects it," She explained. "Chickens lay the eggs, and humans get the eggs and sell them at the store. And people buy them and eat them."

"But the shell…"

M'gann sighed. "The stuff inside the shell is what people eat. Not the shell. Okay?"

Dagger nodded, laying the egg shell down on the counter. When she asked, Dagger readily grabbed the flour, remembering where M'gann had placed it earlier. As she measured the flour and mixed it into the batter, all the ingredients were in place except for one: The chocolate.

M'gann fished the chocolate chips out of the freezer and opened the package, retrieving a handful for herself and dumping the rest inside the batter, quickly mixed it with a spoon and stood back in satisfaction, happily munching on the chocolate she had confiscated from the bag.

Dagger eyed the batter curiously. So this stuff would create 'cookies.' A wistful expression came over his face. If only he could eat it…

"Want some?"

Dagger glanced beside him to see M'gann holding out a hand full of chocolate. Dagger shook his head. "No thanks."

M'gann stared at him. "But it's super good!" Her face turned into one of pleading. "Come on, you've got to try some!"

Dagger eyed the chocolate warily, then sighed and grabbed it from her hand. Knowing full well he was going to regret this, Dagger popped the gooey concoction into his mouth and chewed.

It wasn't half bad, actually. He could see why people loved it so much, but he still wasn't a fan.

Forcing his face into a look of disgust, Dagger spit the chocolate out into the sink, quickly rinsing his mouth out. M'gann blinked at him. "You don't like it?"

Dagger shook his head, wanting to say, _Yes! Yes, I think it's awesome, but I can't eat it because it'll poison me!_

But he couldn't say that. He didn't want to tell them. It was a weakness; a weakness that can easily be exploited.

Besides, he's gone hungry before.

"No… I don't like it that well," He lied, facing the crestfallen Martian. M'gann sighed. "Oh well… worth a shot, right?"

Dagger nodded, glancing back at the batter resting innocently in the bowl. "So, what do we do now…?

M'gann grinned. "We bake 'em!"

The ghost boy sighed as she taught him how to spoon the batter onto the baking sheets. This was a waste of time; he should be training, depleting any of his weaknesses.

But looking into the grinning face of the teenage Martian, Dagger didn't have the heart to leave her alone.

* * *

 **He Welcomes the Silence**

* * *

"So Dagger, what do you think of the team?"

Dagger didn't know how to answer that. He also didn't know how he got into this situation.

M'gann had just finished placing the cookies in the oven - she didn't stop talking about how he was going to love them; he didn't believe it - and they left the kitchen to find the others and tell them cookies were in the oven.

Of course, they had to pass Black Canary down the hall, and after a few moments of non-sensical chitchat, the woman pulled Dagger into her office and kept asking him questions.

It was starting to piss him off.

So he did what he had been doing for the past ten minutes; sent the woman a full blown death glare that was almost as bad as Batman's. Almost.

Black Canary sighed. "Look Dagger, you have to at least tell me something."

Dagger snorted. "I think this is a perfectly good waste of my time. So no." He stood up from his chair and moved away from the woman. "I'll be leaving now."

Out of nowhere, something kicked him in the side, and Dagger was on instant alert, his black hair turning white, his hands glowing green as he prepared to fire at the something that dared to harm him -

And found himself face to face with Canary, who eyed him with a knowing look. "You take training as a way to escape, right?"

Dagger froze.

"Training for you is a way to escape all of this that's been dumped on you. The freedom, the space - You're used to orders, and training is how you seem to receive them."

Dagger paused, letting the energy around his hands to fade. Was that really how he saw training? As a way to escape?

He shook his head. No… That wasn't right.

"You're wrong."

Black Canary blinked and looked down at him. "I beg your pardon?"

Dagger shifted back into human form, giving the woman a hard, calculating look. "I train because I want to get stronger."

Canary blinked. "Why?"

He gave her a small smile. "To protect my precious people."

Then he vanished from view and was gone.

* * *

 **He Welcomes the Silence**

* * *

Dagger dealt a fatal blow to the hologram, and it fell to the ground, flickered and dispersed into nothing.

"Level 18 completed. Beginning Level 19."

Dagger panted for air, a feat he rarely had to do.

He had been training for several hours now, and only his ice core was preventing him from dripping sweat. Being half dead had its advantages, he had to admit.

"Hey, Dagger!"

The boy grudgingly broke his stance and glanced over to see M'gann, holding up a fresh plate of cookies. "Want one?"

With a sigh, Dagger ended the training program and walked over to her, inspected the cookies, grabbed one and took a bite.

M'gann eyed him hopefully, and while it tasted sweet - Hell, it was amazing - Dagger couldn't swallow. He would be in pain for a very long time if he did.

So he gave her a small nod and forced a smile on his face, making sure the cookie didn't slide down his throat.

M'gann grinned. "Hooray!" She cried and shot into the air, nearly dropping the cookies.

On instinct, Dagger grabbed the plate and caught most of the cookies, with only one unfortunate baked goodness falling to the linoleum tile. But in the process of saving the cookies, Dagger did something that made him immediately tense.

He swallowed the bite.

Already he was starting to feel sick, and his vision danced in front of him. M'gann grabbed the plate from his hands, saying, "Oops."

Dagger gave her a small smile, said softly, "Going to my room," And promptly phased through the floor.

M'gann blinked as he vanished from sight. What she would give to be able to density shift like that.

* * *

 **He Welcomes the Silence**

* * *

Dagger gasped for air as he fell on his knees, just barely closing the door to his room, his intangibility failing him half way down the hall.

This was bad. This was very bad.

 _Dammit, it **hurts** -_

And he promptly started to puke. Violently.

After about five minutes of non stop retching, his system finally seemed to get that he no longer had the invasive substance inside of him, and he could have sworn his stomach seemed smug.

But it was probably his blood loss that was talking.

In the process of ridding itself of the cookie, his body had also puked out a lot of ectoplasm and red blood. And gazing down at the large puddle on the floor, Dagger knew it wasn't healthy to lose that much.

His vision spinning, Dagger forced himself to clean up the mess he had made and cursed the creation called a 'cookie.' Hell, it tasted good, but definitely not worth nearly puking out his stomach. Not at all.

With the floor clean and his head spinning, Dagger flopped onto his bed and closed his eyes, a low moan escaping him.

 _Yep, never eating human food again._

But how was he going to hide his weakness?

As he sluggishly tried to think of ideas, the door opened and in stepped Artemis, who gasped at his state.

"Dagger, are you okay? You don't look so good…"

She made her way over to his bed, looking him up and down. Her eyes widened when she saw blood - green and red - on his clothes. Dagger gave her a weak smile. "Not what it looks like…" He mumbled.

Artemis glared at him. "Then what is it? You're bleeding, dammit!"

He slowly shook his head. "M'gann's… cookies…" He made a face. "Ow…"

Artemis stared at him, then started to laugh. "Wow. Wally said they'd give a person indigestion, but I never thought it'd be this bad!"

Dagger glared at her, a whimper escaping his lips as his stomach started to rebel again. His eyes widened in horror; _No no no no no not in front of Artemis I can't tell anyone the truth they'd hate me and kill me -_

Green and red goo splattered out of his mouth, enough quantity to cause Artemis's senses to tingle with alarm. After he was done puking, he leaned back into bed, giving Artemis a weaker smile from before, and a shaky thumbs up.

"See? All… good…"

His vision swam with darkness, and soon he was suffocated by it.

* * *

 **He Welcomes the Silence**

* * *

 _"I'm not gonna ask again - Where's the ghost boy?"_

 _"We're never gonna tell!"_

 _A gun fired._

 _Someone screamed._

 _"DADDY!"_

 _He was running towards… someone. Their appearance was unseen to him. They were mere black silhouettes._

 _"No!" The world went silent once more. "Grab your sister and run!"_

 _Sister. He had a sister? A sister…_

 _"How adorable," A voice sneered. He froze. He knew that voice. "A ghost imitating human emotions."_

 _"I'm gonna get you outta here, Jazzy," He found himself saying, and turned to face a young girl, orange hair shining in the darkness. "-and den I'm gonna make sure they won't hurt us again."_

 _He turned intangible, the girl… Jazz… changing as well, and shot through the darkness, finding themselves bathed in light._

 _But then something shot him. He fell down, down down, screaming pain, Jazz falling along with him._

 _White Suits surrounded him, and he was strapped to a medical table. A woman stood in front of him, and something was placed onto his head._

 _"What's dat for?" He found himself asking._

 _"It's going to make you perfect," The woman answered._

 _He wrinkled his nose like a child. "But mommy always says I'm already perfect!"_

 _The woman nodded. "Yes, she is right, but you aren't perfect to me…" She leaned in towards him and traced her finger along his cheek, finally cupping his chin in her hands._

 _"... but you will soon join the Light."_

 _The thing on his head started to vibrate._

 _"W-what's going on?" He cried. "What's it doin' to me?!"_

 _The woman smirked. "Allowing you to join the Light," She replied, and the vibrating increased until it seemed to crack through his skull._

 _He screamed, and the darkness faded into nothingness._

Dagger welcomed the silence.

* * *

 **He Welcomes the Silence**

* * *

"I didn't know her cooking was that bad!" Robin exclaimed, sitting next to Dagger on the bench, watching as Kaldur fought Black Canary. "Did you really puke so bad blood came out?"

Dagger sighed. "Yes."

Wally winced, glancing down at the granola bar in his hand. "Man, that's gotta suck,"

Dagger nodded. "Yeah… It does."

"Are you sure it wasn't because of some illness you caught?" Artemis asked, a worried look in her eyes.

Dagger nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. And I'm fine," He added. "As long as I keep away from her cookies, I think I'll be okay."

Robin glanced towards the kitchen, where M'gann was humming away. "Shouldn't you tell her?"

Dagger gave the boy wonder a deadpann. "No. I don't want to hurt her emotional process."

Wally choked on his granola bite. "Dude, 'emotional process?' What's that?"

Dagger blinked at the speedster. Now he was confused.

"I think he means a person's feelings," Kaldur called from the ring, holding a sword at Canary's throat.

"You win," She resigned and left the ring. Kaldur grabbed a towel and did the same.

As the Atlantian made his way over to them, Dagger eyed the ring hungrily. He really wanted to fight right now.

Seeing this, Wally flashed over into the hologram arena, a grin on his face as he called out, "Hey Dagger! Wanna spar?"

Dagger nodded, his form changing instantly as he made his way over there. He fell into a fighting stance, studying Wally's own.

At the countdown, they flew at each other, Wally dancing around Dagger, who remained still as he studied the speedster's technique.

Wally stopped running, annoyance clear on his face.

"Dude, are you gonna fight or-"

Dagger threw an ectoblast at the speedster, who narrowly dodged it. Skidding to a stop, he glared at the ghost boy. "Dude! Don't kill me!"

Dagger stopped in his assault and frowned. "Why not? We are fighting. Only one victor can leave the ring."

Wally's eyes widened with horror, as did the others, and Artemis dashed for the kitchen, knowing M'gann would - hopefully - be able to stop him.

Robin held a birdarang in his hand, and Kaldur was holding his swords, walking slowly towards the ring.

"That isn't how we do things, Dagger," He tried to explain. "This is different. You may have had to kill with Luthor, but not here. We don't kill people."

"Yeah," Robin added. "So not whelmed over here, dude."

Dagger eyed Wally with a calculating gleam in his emerald eyes, and his hands started to glow.

Kaldur's eyes widened, and he shot forward. "Do not kill anyone, Dagger!"

Dagger stopped, turning to face Kaldur. His emerald eyes shone with curiosity and… recognition?

He turned back to look at Wally, who looked unsure of whether to fight or bolt.

Then he turned back into his human form, dipping his head at Kaldur.

"I shall do as ordered, Master."

Robin and Wally's eyes widened in horror, while Kaldur's gleamed with sadness.

Artemis and M'gann ran into the room, M'gann covered in flour and still wearing her apron.

"Dagger…" Kaldur started to say, and he glanced around, trying to think of any sort of thing to say.

"Dagger…" He began again. "We're your friends. Not your masters. Never your masters."

The boy looked confused, a frown forming on his face, sapphire eyes twinkling with confusion. "Then what… are you, if you're not my masters?"

Kaldur gave Dagger a reassuring smile. "Friends."

Dagger gave the Atlantian a wistful smile. "I still don't know what that means…"

* * *

 **He Welcomes the Silence**

* * *

He opened his eyes, gasping for air.

 _It hurts, my head, the memories are painful; take them away take them away **take them away** -_

"Dagger! Dagger!"

Hands shook his shoulders, and the darkness faded away. He found himself looking into the concerned eyes of Artemis.

"Dagger! What happened?!" She exclaimed. "What did you see?"

In the corner of his vision, Dagger saw a slumped over M'gann, with Superboy standing over her, eyes pressed in worry.

Dagger opened his mouth to answer, but only a faint whisper got out.

"I…"

Artemis leaned down, looking him full on into his sapphire eyes.

"I… I…"

Wally raced into the room, a first aid kit in hand and a bottle water in the other.

"I… have…"

Kaldur picked M'gann up gently, giving Dagger a concerned look as he headed out the door, Superboy following close behind. Robin and Wally were standing in the doorway, having no clue on what to do.

"I have a… sister."

Artemis's eyes widened.

A smile broke out onto Dagger's face.

"I have… a sister…"

Darkness danced in his vision. The world grew silent as Artemis started to scream.

Darkness enveloped him, and the light was extinguished.

 _He welcomed the silence._

* * *

 **He Welcomes the Silence**

* * *

M'gann was sitting on her bed in her room, humming along to a new band Robin had introduced to her.

"I am Machine, I never sleep, I keep my eyes. Wide. Oooopen~!"

"M'gann?"

The teenaged Martian looked up, letting out a yelp of surprise to see Dagger phasing through her wall. Okay, so she could do it, but still.

"Y-yes?" She squeaked.

Dagger took a deep breath, seemingly calming his nerves before he continued.

"I want to to help me recover my memories. From before the Compound."

M'gann's eyes widened. "R-really?"

He gave her a grim smile. "Yes. I can't take not knowing anymore."

She eyed him warily, then sighed and nodded her head, scooting to the edge of her bed.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked hesitantly.

Dagger nodded, determination swelling in his sapphire orbs. "Yes. If there's going to be anyway of my finding out who I was before… them, I need to remember. Please."

M'gann hesitated. There were so many things that could go wrong… but in the end she gave in. "Alright. Just relax then. Who knows how long this will take."

Dagger flashed her a grateful smile and sat down on the bed, criss-crossing his legs as he sat down in front of her.

As M'gann prepared herself for the imminent onslaught of memories, a voice disturbed her concentration.

"Hey M'gann?"

It was Dagger. Opening her eyes, she decided it wouldn't hurt to reply.

"Yeah?"

"Will this… hurt?"

He sounded scared. Sympathy swelled inside of her, and she was quick to push aside his fears, but knew that mental probing could cause a person to have a very, very painful headache.

"I'll try my best to make sure it won't."

He nodded slowly, clenching his fists together tightly.

"Okay…."

Finally, she was prepared. Opening her hazel eyes into his cold blue ones, she asked the question.

"Ready?"

He shook his head, eyes flashing a bright emerald as determination seemed to come off him in waves.

"Not really… But do it."

She accessed her powers, knowing her eyes were glowing a bright green. She pressed her hands onto the sides of his head, and felt herself get swallowed inside his mind.

Her last conscious thought was: _This is so going to hurt._

* * *

 **He Welcomes the Silence**

* * *

Clockwork frowned as the images changed. No longer could he look into the boy's future.

He had created his own path.

The Ghost listened to the tick-tocking of hundreds of clocks in his lair, until a sigh escaped him.

"Well then, young Daniel… but your name is Dagger now, isn't it?" He chuckled to himself, for reasons unknown. "I look forward to seeing how this will play out."

"Don't you always?"

The ghost turned to see Adara once again. "Did you get it done?" He asked her.

She smirked. "Aren't you the all-seeing ghost, Clocky? Shouldn't you know that?"

Clockwork shot her a look, and Adara chuckled. "Yeah, I got it done. Seesh, she's gonna hate me for a pretty long time I bet."

"But in order for the timeline to continue, it had to be done," Clockwork reminded her.

Adara rolled her eyes. "U-huh. But lemme tell you something, tick-tock." She leaned in close to him, her auburn hair blazing. "If anything happens to my disciple, I will end you. Understand?"

The ghost nodded. "Understood."

Adara leaned back and grinned. "Good."

Turning around, she started to walk out of the lair. As she was at the door, she turned around and started to speak.

"Why didn't you tell him it was never going to happen in the first place? Why change the past?"

Clockwork sighed. "Because it had to be done."

Adara shook her head, then faded from sight. Only a whisper of her voice could be barely heard above the clocks.

 _"I don't believe that."_

* * *

 **He Welcomes the Silence**

* * *

 _Yeah, this was a filler, but it was something you NEEDED TO READ! So if you haven't read it, next chapter will be a doozy of confusion!_

 _So review and all that jazz! If I get to 130 reviews, the next chapter will be posted without fail!_

 _Special thanks to **Kid-Genius1** for being an awesome beta for me!_

 _Words M'gann sang were from **'I Am Machine'** by ' **Three Days Grace.'** I don't own the song or the band, and I most certainly don't own Naruto! [If I did, well... Anime would hate me, let's just put it that way.]_


	9. Omake -- Sick, Sad, or Dying?

_What is this? Has **The Girl in the Forrest** really updated TWICE? IN ONE DAY? It's the end of the world, peoples._

 _And for the love of god, READ THIS OMAKE! THIS ONE AND THE NEXT, BECAUSE IT IS CRUCIAL TO THE STORY, DAMMIT!_

 _Thank **Drift219** for the double update. All his idea, folks. Also! He has been giving me ideas for the next chapter! AND! If you guys want certain instances to happen in the story, [Example - Dagger and Wally playing video games together, Batman and Robin taking Dagger out on a stakeout in Gotham] you name it! I'll try to add it in._

 _So without further ado, [and monologue,] Here's the latest omake!_

* * *

 **Danny Phantom and Young Justice doesn't belong to me. Sad, though - I want another season of both.**

* * *

 **~ Omake! ~**

* * *

 **Sick, Sad, or Dying?**

* * *

Box grinned at Jazz as he placed the sled thing onto the floor of his lair, hovering next to the eight year old with a large smile. "Jazz can stay with The Box Ghost for now!" He beamed, using his abilities to create a makeshift room for the young girl. She blinked in surprise as it became a mirror of her room at home.

"The Box Ghost hasn't seen any other living girl's room… So is Jazz happy?"

Looking up into the hopeful eyes of the odd, friendly and square obsessed ghost, Jazz didn't have the heart to say no.

"Yeah, I like it."

Box grinned, doing a backflip in the air. "Yay!" His grin melted into one of confusion as Jazz started to yawn. "Is Jazz tired?" He asked, floating next to her. At the girl's sleepy nod, Box picked her up and plopped her onto the cardboard bed.

Jazz frowned at the hard feeling, glancing up at Box with pleading blue eyes. "Boxy? Could you find me a pillow and blanket?" Jazz also wanted a mattress, but she was too tired to care at the moment.

Box nodded slowly. "Pillow and blanket… Okay! The Box Ghost will find you some!" And as the young human girl fell asleep, Box searched his lair fervently for a pillow and blanket.

* * *

 **Sick, Sad, or Dying?**

* * *

When Jazz opened her eyes, she expected to see her room, Bearbert tucked next to her and a half-finished psychology textbook on her lap. Instead, she was covered by an old looking quilt and a compile of ratty old clothes served as a pillow. She blinked owlishly at her cardboard surroundings and then everything came roaring back to her.

Mom.

Dad.

Agent O.

Danny.

The tears fell one by one until they were an endless stream. Box phased through a wall and gave the girl a look of pity and confusion. "Why is Jazz crying?" He asked, floating over to her. Jazz clutched Bearbert tightly, getting out the choked words of "Momma… Daddy… they're dead, Box… they're dead…"

Now, for being a ghost for some large surplus of years, the concept of death didn't really bother The Box Ghost. Honestly, he didn't think it really bothered any ghost. But they all knew that when one of the living died, there wasn't a big chance of them becoming a ghost, and if they did, they wouldn't remember their lives as a human. That wasn't how the world worked.

So seeing Jazz despair over her dead parents, Box did the only thing he could think of. Using his abilities, he floated a small box over to him and took the rock off her nightstand, putting it inside the box. After closing the lid, he shook the box several times and handed it to the young girl.

Sniffling, Jazz wiped her eyes and opened the box, her tears stopping momentarily. "It's… my rock…"

Box shook his head. "No, not any rock! It's the-rock-that-will-make-you-stop-crying-because-The-Box-Ghost-said-so-rock!"

Jazz sniggered at the odd ghost, who grinned.

"See? The rock works!"

Jazz gave the ghost a small smile, looking down at the rock and gripping it tightly.

"Yeah… I guess it does…"

* * *

 **Sick, Sad, or Dying?**

* * *

Box frowned at the young girl. She looked… He didn't know what was wrong, but she seemed… off. Too quiet, sleepy and… His widened. She would know what to do!

With a determined gleam in his eyes, Box once again created the same sled-thing, handed Jazz Bearbert and plopped her onto the thing, then grabbed the rope and sped off, forgetting to grab a certain thermos…

"Where're we goin,' Boxy?" Jazz asked tiredly. Box glanced back at the living girl. "To a ghost that might know how to help Jazz."

God forbid Spectra was messing with the little girl; He would send all things square on her-

"Hey Box Ghost, where're ya goin?"

If a ghost could go pale, Box accomplished this as he turned around to face a curious Ember. Quickly, he moved himself in the line of sight between her and Jazz. "Erm - nothing, Ember! So since The Box Ghost is doing nothing, can Ember leave The Box Ghost alone?"

Ember sighed at the odd ghost's words. "As if. You're hiding something, and I wanna know what." Brandishing her guitar, Ember aimed it at Box, who gulped. Glancing behind him at the - Sick? Sad? Dying? - Jazz, he shook his head. "No."

Ember was surprised. The Box Ghost was usually a huge pushover, but today… not the case.

"Seems as if you got yourself a backbone after all," Ember said with a smirk and put her guitar away.

Box sighed in relief. Glancing behind himself once again, Box looked back at Ember and hesitantly asked, "Ember? Does Ember promise not to attack the secret The Box Ghost has?"

Ember shrugged. "Yeah, whatever."

Seeing that she promised, Box moved out of her way and floated next to the unnaturally still Jazz. Ember's eyes widened. "A human! Box Ghost, what the hell-"

"Jazz's family is dead, Ember. Jazz was all alone in the basement. The Box Ghost didn't know what to do."

"You give her back to the other humans, not take her into the Zone!" Ember hissed, her hair flaring up a bit as she glared at him. "You have to get her back to the human world before she dies here!"

"The Box Ghost doesn't want to!" He cried. "The Box Ghost wants The Box Ghost's favorite human to be with The Box Ghost!"

"She isn't going to be human if she stays here, Crate Creep! She needs to go back! NOW!"

"I don't want to…"

Both ghosts stopped arguing and looked down at a tired Jazz. "I don't want to… be around humans anymore. They took… Danny… and killed my parents…"

Ember is known far and wide for her rad guitar skills and punk attitude. She was well known for being brutally honest and sneaky, but not… Motherly. And yet that's exactly how the ghost acted towards Jazz.

"I'm sorry about that, babypop," She said sympathetically, hovering next to Jazz. "But staying here will only end up killing you." She gestured around her. "In the Zone, there isn't any water or food; nothing a human needs to survive."

Placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, she added, "You can't stay."

"But I have to!" Jazz cried. "I have to stay here! I have nowhere else to go!"

Ember froze, staring at the girl in shock, then sighed, long and hard.

"Alright. But we need to find something first."

Box and Jazz both stared at her in surprise, one wondering if he had ended and the other in utter disbelief. "W-what?"

Ember rolled her eyes. "You heard me. I can tell that you aren't going to change your mind, so why bother?" Turning away, she continued, "Anyways, there's this amulet type thing that can keep a human alive in the zone, giving them the abilities of a ghost. They won't have to eat or drink, but sleep is mandatory." Giving Jazz a knowing smirk, she added, "And I think you're gonna like it."

Jazz beamed up at the ghost. "Thank you!" She cried, and pulled Ember into a hug. Both ghosts were taken aback by Jazz's antics, and The Box Ghost's jaw dropped when Ember returned the hug.

Now he had most definitely ended.

* * *

 **~ Omake! ~**

* * *

 **Sick, Sad, or Dying?**

* * *

 _Yup! So that's all I'm giving you guys for now; the next Omake that comes out is absolutely a MUST for you guys to read! SO REMEMBER TO READ IT!_

 _And did you guys all get a notice for mah latest 'story,' РØEΜŞ ɑήɗ σтнєя тнιиgѕ? In this story, I'm basically putting all the poems I made for this story into it, AND taking ideas for stupidly funny one shots concerning Dagger! And these one shots will not affect the story in any way, but I MIGHT post a few of them as Omake's in the far out future. Just for the hell of it._

 _AND A BIG THANK YOU TO SUICIDE FOREST FOR THIS BOOK COVER! But I'm working on my own and will post it soon!_

 _[I know. Sue me.]_


	10. Omake -- They Will Lead You to Danny

_Gaaah! The next chapter isn't even finished yet! I'm soooo sorry, but writer's block has hit me hard!_

 _Here's the next Omake to make up for it. Sorry, but the next real chapter isn't gonna be for a while... :C_

 _If you guys have ANY suggestions for the whole Dr. Fate VS Klarion episode, go for it! You might just get me out of my block._

* * *

 **Danny Phantom and Young Justice doesn't belong to me. Sad, though - I want another season of both.**

* * *

 **~ Omake! ~**

* * *

 **They Will Lead You to Your Brother**

* * *

Ember had taken on the responsibility of being the guard on their journey. Every once in awhile, they would come across a stray ghost or two, but one look at Ember's flaming hair and guitar would send them soaring off. As they moved along the Zone, both Ember and Box knew that if they didn't find her, and fast, Jazz would no longer belong with the living.

Box had been slightly surprised to see that Jazz was holding the rock from earlier, and when Ember asked about it, Jazz said the rock kept her from crying.

Of course, Ember didn't believe this and tried to talk some sense into the girl, but the stubborn human wouldn't listen. None of them knew how long they had been travelling, but when they finally came across a large, flaming cave, both Ember and Box sighed in relief and made their way towards it. As they slipped inside the cave, Box continued ti carry Jazz, eyeing the torches on the walls warily. After who knew how long, they found themselves in massive cavern, the cackling sound of fire reverberating through the walls.

"Why are you here?" A voice asked, bouncing off the cavern so much that none of them could tell where it had first originated.

Box hesitantly stepped forward. "To help Jazz live in the Ghost Zone," He squeaked.

"Who are you?" The voice asked again. This time, it was Ember's turn.

"I am Ember, Ghost of Music, and this is The Box Ghost, Ghost of all things Square."

Ember glanced down at Jazz. "And this is Jazz, human of… off…"

"Bearbert!" Box said helpfully. Ember nodded. "Bearbert," She finished, facepalming when she realized what she had said.

There was a moment of silence, and then it spoke again. "Why do Ghosts of the Zone bring a human into my sacred place?"

"Because Jazz has nowhere else to go. Her family has been killed, and she wishes to cut all ties with the living."

"A disciple, eh? I haven't been proposed to in over a millennium. What do you seek in my lair?"

"The amulet of Necro."

The voice was silent, then it started to laugh. "Ha ha ha ha, I should have known you sought the amulet. Very well, I shall bestow this boon onto you, but I wish for something in return."

Jazz gasped as a creature flickered into view, hovering in front of her, its appearance covered with a cloak.

"This child must accept her fate and become my disciple in the After."

Emer went pale. "Hell no!" She roared. "I am not gonna let you do that to babypop, you ugly heap of-"

"Stop it!"

Ember went silent, her rant paused as she looked down at Jazz, who was eyeing the creature with a fearful yet curious expression. "What… will happen to me if I say yes?"

"Clever girl, aren't you?" The voice chuckled. "By agreeing to my terms, you will not only live quite the prolonged life, but you will also not need to eat or drink in order to survive. Don't forget that you'll also have to sleep in order to maintain the amulet's power."

The creature floated closer to Jazz, who stared at the thing with no fear in her cerulean eyes.

"So… would I have to die?"

"You're soul will be bound to me, and you will become my apprentice once you reach the After. Your task will be to ensure Clockwork know's what he's doing as well as keep to it that Pariah never leaves the Sarcophagus."

The world seemed to grow cold at the mention of that name.

Jazz blinked, looking down and pondering the conditions. Finally, she looked up at the creature and nodded.

"Alright, I accept." The creature seemed to grin, and it extended its bandaged hand towards Jazz, who took a step back and held up her finger. "On one condition."

Ember and Box stared at Jazz. No one struck a deal with her in millennium.

The creature dropped its hand, its hidden face seemingly putting on the expression of amusement. "Oh? And what will that be, young one?"

Jazz took a deep breath, fighting to calm her nerves. "You're gonna teach me Ghost Magic."

The creature laughed again, throwing it's head back and guffawing, the sound dancing around the cavern and drawing chills up their spines.

"I don't see why not. Very well, Jazz. I accept your terms."

The creature extended it's bandaged hand once again, and Jazz took it with hesitation, shaking the bandaged limb and gasping as a jolt of… something shot down her spine, then circled all around her. A bright blue aura glowed around the young girl, centering in her cerulean orbs.

As she opened them, her eyes widened in shock as she stared at what was in front of her. Gone was the hideous, cloaked and bandaged creature in front of her.

Instead, she was facing a woman of about twenty, with bright auburn hair that flickered like flames. She was clothed in a rather revealing outfit; a crimson corset with patterns of flames made out of black lace.

Her stomach was concealed by black lace, the sides revealed however.

Black short-shorts covered her legs, and lace concealed the rest of her glowing skin. Around her hips was a very long, very indian styled skirt that was long in the back and front, yet the sides were mere ribbons that tied together on her left hip.

Her eyes were a gleaming emerald, which reminded Jazz of her brother's own.

Around her neck was a simple black chain, a small dagger charm that looked harmless, but something told Jazz it was anything but.

The woman gave Jazz a knowing wink, then said with a surprisingly beautiful voice, "My name is Adara, young Jazz. And as my disciple, you have been reborn into the After."

Her hands glowed a bright yellow, and Adara placed her fingers on Jazz's collar bone. The girl gasped once more as a seething, biting pain wormed its way into her skin.

And then as soon as it was there, the pain was gone, a swirling sun tattoo in its place, shimmering a dim emerald green.

"I name you Shimmer, apprentice of Adara, Ghost of the Shining Sun. Accept your new identity, disciple of the Sun."

The rock in Jazz's hands floated upwards, suspended by a glowing blue light. It's appearance started to change, the color going from brown and pink to a swirling green, black and purple. A black chain wound its way into the stone, and the amulet fell back into Jazz's… no, Shimmer's hands. She smiled bitterly and clasped the lock, letting the amulet drop onto her chest.

"Thank you, Shining Sun," Shimmer said respectfully and bowed at the Ghost.

Adara smiled and ran her hand through Shimmer's orange hair, her emerald eyes flashing a violent purple. "Trust your friends, Shimmer."

The world started to swirl around her, and as Shimmer, Ember and Box faded from sight, the whisper remained.

"They will lead you to your brother."

* * *

 **~ Omake! ~**

* * *

 **They Will Lead You to Your Brother**

* * *

 _So yeah... Jazz's story! And this is also why the story is an AU, people. BTW, Shimmer's twin NEVER existed, and neither did the Kobra Venom thing. That comes... later? I think... ^^;_

 _So review! Fave! Follow! And try your hardest to get me out of my writer's block, because I really want to write this chapter for you guys, but it isn't coming out right..._


	11. IMPORTANT! PLZ READ!

_Sorry guys, but life problems are getting in the way of me writing, and I don't do much during the summer anyways, believe it or not. In reality... I'd say a good month before I update again? Once more, really sorry that it came to this, but life comes before writing, sadly._

 _But the good news is that I have plenty of new crossover ideas, though I'm only going to publish them once I finish Torn and Frayed and Stars Cannot Shine Without Darkness. Monster that I am fans... eeeh, you're gonna be waiting for a pretty long time._

 _:I am going to be re-writing the chapters for all three stories, and will post a new AN to alert you guys so you'll know when to re-read everything._

 _Again, suuuper sorry it came to this._

 _NOTE: I am changing my username to A Lonely Rainbow Girl. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS DETAIL._

 _ **~ The Girl in the Forrest**_


	12. NOT DEAD

_SUCKERS! I'M NOT DEEEAAD!_

 _Yes, I have an excuse this time. Life has had its... difficulties, especially with my parents taking away fanfiction for several months. On the good side, it gave me time to re-think my stories and come up with waaaaay better outlines for them. On the bad side, I wasn't able to read the freshly posted goodness I've become addicted to. Or talk to my friends._

 _DRIFT-219, I AM SO SOWWWYYYYYYY!_

 _So now that I have my precious back, [and everything in my doc manager deleted itself] I shall begin re-writing my stories from the outline up._

 _AND THIS TIME I WILL HAVE THEM PRE-WRITTEN!_

ℳσηstər ʇhαʇ ї αɯ _fans, the remake title is_ Λ ｄｅｍｏｎ αɯѳngsʇ Ŧhə Ғ▲rїєs.

T๏гภ Δηd ƒяαуєd _readers, the remake title is_ Just a Ghost

Տtαrs ƈǟηɳѳt sнiиє witɦѳut DѦ૨knǝṩṩ _people, the title shall be_ I feel like I'm (ｉｎｖｉｓｉｂｌｅ)

Tнє ωαу ωє ωєяє вєfσяє _shall be continued under the same title._

 _I hope to have my chapters posted in the next two months; I know, another long wait, but hey. I'm not dead; that's something, right?_


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